The laboratory was founded by
Adam Pack, who holds a joint appointment in the departments of psychology and biology. On the team are
Lars Bejder and
Martin van Aswegen of the Marine Mammal Research Program at UH Mānoa, Jens Currie and Stephanie Stack of the Pacific Whale Foundation, Andy Szabo of Alaska Whale Foundation, Shannon Atkinson of University of Alaska, Fairbanks and Kristi West of Hawaiʻi Pacific University.
“Our goal is to learn about the physical and reproductive health of the Hawaiʻi distinct population segment of North Pacific humpback whales by measuring how whale body condition, fertility levels and indicators of stress change while calves are nursing and other whales are fasting over the course of a breeding season,” Pack said.
Above video, the research team uses drones that hover over each whale when it surfaces to measure its body condition. This footage was collected in 2019.
Humpback whales are back in waters off of Maui after their fall migration from along the Northern Pacific rim, and the Marine Mammal Laboratory at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, is continuing collaborative research on humpback whale health with scientists from Hawaiʻi and Alaska. During summers, the research team examines the same individual whales in feeding grounds off Southeast Alaska.
The laboratory was founded by
Adam Pack, who holds a joint appointment in the departments of psychology and biology. On the team are
Event still goes on but with trained site leaders instead of usual volunteers
Feb 1, 2021
Volunteers scan the ocean for any sign of whales in this image taken in 2019 during the Pacific Whale Foundationâs Great Whale Count. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a different type of annual whale count is underway this year on Maui and across the state as trained site leaders have picked up the counting instead of volunteers. Pacific Whale Foundation photo
The Maui News
Due to COVID-19, a different type of annual whale count is underway this year on Maui and across the state as trained site leaders have picked up the counting instead of volunteers.
Entries sought for World Whale Film Festival
By Staff | Jan 8, 2021
The 2020 festival featured ten films that told powerful stories about marine conservation.
MAALAEA Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF) invites visual storytellers of all backgrounds who are passionate about our oceans and marine wildlife to submit their work for consideration in its annual World Whale Film Festival (WWFF), a cornerstone of the annual Maui Whale Festival. Occurring virtually in February 2021, WWFF continues the nonprofit organization’s proven commitment to presenting films that reflect an ethical and accurate representation of various cultures, ecosystems and wildlife. In early 2020, WWFF attracted a sold-out crowd that was treated to ten feature films that told powerful stories about marine conservation.
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Subscriber only RESEARCH into the impact of swimming with whales has continued in Hervey Bay in 2020, despite the ongoing pandemic. This week research associate Dr Kate Sprogis, part of the team at the Pacific Whale Foundation, reflected on the past year and how fortunate she was to be able to continue with the work that was being carried out, which focuses on improving practices in the growing industry. Twenty-twenty has been tough for so many researchers around the world and many research projects may have been halted, she said. We were very fortunate in Hervey Bay, Australia, that data, regarding the behavioural effects of swim-with-humpback whale tourism, could still be collected.