Humpback Whale

There's breaking news in the whale world. Scientists discovered that humpback whale songs and human speech have striking similarities. The Conversation spoke to Ellen Garland, a whale biologist at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, about what this new discovery means for whales and people.

Over 400 volunteers for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and the Pacific Whale Foundation scanned the ocean — many with binoculars — to spot the breaching creatures.

Two Lahaina boat captains who lost their business in the fire have just reopened their new charter boat for whale watching tours. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports they're offering free seats to fire survivors.

Humpback whales use “bubble nets” to catch krill, which researchers have determined to be an example of tool modification and understanding. That’s following a new Royal Society Open Science article on the whales that included University of Hawaiʻi researchers.

World Whale Day was started on Maui back in 1980 by the late Greg Kaufman of the Pacific Whale Foundation to draw attention to the magnificent creatures and the dangers they encounter. The Conversation talked with the foundation’s lead scientist, Jens Currie, as well as Ed Lyman of NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

Off the coast of Lahaina, researchers are on the lookout for humpback whales that come to the islands every year around this time to breed. HPR contributor Adia White joined a Whale Trust crew on their new boat to find and record a special whale song. Both of the nonprofit's research vessels were moored in the Lahaina harbor the day the August wildfire swept through.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and the Pacific Whale Foundation coordinate annual whale counts to understand population trends. The number of whales sighted during peak time periods decreased by 38% compared to last year.

A total of 997 whales were spotted at about 42 whale watching sites across the islands on Saturday.

A humpback whale has been freed after it was found in a life-threatening entanglement of rope, with a bundle of gear and two buoys attached.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary reports numerous mother and calf pairs in Hawai‘i waters. Here are some tips for how to keep the whales, and yourself, safe.