Estimated Density and Abundance of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) off West Maui, Hawai'i: Results from 2018-2021 Vessel-Based Surveys

Approximately half of the North Pacific humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) population migrates from high-latitude feeding grounds to Hawai‘i each winter and spring to breed. Beginning in 2015, fluctuations in whale abundance were reported in Hawai‘i, and this trend has continued in subsequent years. These reports were consistent with passive acoustic monitoring data, which showed a decreasing whale presence off Maui during the same period using male humpback whale chorusing as a proxy for relative whale abundance. 2021 Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Humpback whales, Marine mammals, Whale sightings, Vessel survey, Whale abundance NOS (National Ocean Service) ONMS (Office of National Marine Sanctuaries) Submitted https://doi.org/10.25923/nfsn-5x51 Public Domain 1937