Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary welcomes back volunteers for the 2023 Sanctuary Ocean Count scheduled for Jan. 28, Feb. 25, and March 25.
Volunteers must register in advance, and participation is limited for each Sanctuary Ocean Count site. Volunteer registration is live as of Monday, Jan. 9, 2023 at 12 noon HST. Registration and more information on Sanctuary Ocean Count is online at https://oceancount.org/.
Since 1996, the annual Sanctuary Ocean Count has promoted public awareness about humpback whales, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, and shore-based whale watching opportunities. Site leaders and volunteers tally humpback whale sightings and document the animals’ surface behavior during the surveys, which provides a snapshot of humpback whale activity from the shorelines of O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, and Hawai‘i Island. Sanctuary Ocean Count is supported by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
The Pacific Whale Foundation conducts the Great Whale Count on Maui, on the same dates as Sanctuary Ocean Count. More information can be found at https://www.pacificwhale.org/research/community-science/great-whale-count/.
This is the first year since March 2020 that both programs will be resuming volunteer operations.
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, administered by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the State of Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources, protects humpback whales and their habitat in Hawaiian waters where they migrate each winter to mate, calve, and nurse their young.
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, established in 2000, is the official non-profit partner of the National Marine Sanctuary System. The Foundation directly supports national marine sanctuaries by protecting species, conserving ecosystems, and preserving America’s maritime heritage through on-the-water conservation projects, public education and outreach programs.