Ocean Sentry
(From hawaiireporter.com) Honolulu – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is asking all recreational and commercial boaters to be extra cautious during whale season, especially during the height of the season, January through March, to help ensure the continued restoration of the thriving population of these treasured mammals. From now through March, humpback whales are abundant in Hawai‘i’s waters. Beginning around November of each year, migrating humpback whales (or kohola) return to Hawaiian waters from their feeding grounds in Alaska in order to birth calves in the warm waters around our islands.
As many as 10,000 whales may visit our waters in a single season.
“The protection we provide to the humpback whale today is a promise for future generations that they will be able to witness their majesty in the future,” said DLNR’s Jeff Walters, who is co-manager of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
To reduce the chances of collisions with whales, vessel operators are advised to post dedicated whale lookouts, always stay at the helm, and maintain a slow and safe vessel speed.
Humpback whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act since their inception in 1972 and 1973 respectively.
The whales also enjoy additional protection while they are in the waters of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, which includes areas adjacent to all of the main Hawaiian Islands (with the exception of Kaho‘olawe). The sanctuary is co-managed as a federal-state partnership by the DLNR, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA), National Ocean Service, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
Federal rules also prohibit all ocean users from approaching within 100 yards of any humpback whale.
(By Deborah Ward)
