The HIHW Sanctuary

The History of the Sanctuary

No one knows exactly when humpback whales first began wintering in the warm, shallow waters around the Hawaiian Islands. Narrative reports from whalers document the appearance of these majestic giants in Hawai`i in the 1840s, but little evidence substantiates an earlier presence. But arrive they did, and today, the waters around the main Hawaiian Islands of Kaua`i, O`ahu, Hawai`i, Maui, Moloka`i, Lana`i and Kaho`olawe constitute one of the world's most important North Pacific humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) habitats, and the only place in U.S. coastal waters where humpbacks reproduce. Scientists estimate that two-thirds of the entire North Pacific humpback whale population (approximately 4,000 to 5,000 whales) migrate to Hawaiian waters each year to breed, calve and nurse their young.


Two humpback whales surfacing directly beneath a boat. (Photo: NMFS)

It All Began in 1982

In March 1982, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stated that certain areas around the Hawaiian Islands should become a national marine sanctuary. Public workshops were held to allow scientists and the community to discuss the purpose of such a sanctuary and to evaluate the issues related to the management of a sanctuary. Soon after, some members of the community voiced opposition, fearing that a marine sanctuary would bring additional restrictions on fishing and vessel traffic. In response to these concerns, Hawai`i's then Governor Anyoshi suspended further consideration of the site in early 1984.

Six years later, in October 1990, President George Bush directed the Secretary of Defense to immediately discontinue the use of Kaho`olawe as a weapons range. Congress once again directed NOAA to determine the feasibility of establishing a national marine sanctuary in the waters around the island and elsewhere in Hawai`i.


The terrain and coastlines within the Hawai`i sanctuary vary significantly. Pictured here are the dramatic peaks off Kaho`olawe. (Photo: Marc Hodges)

Congress, in consultation with the State of Hawai`i, designated the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary on November 4, 1992. The Hawaiian Islands National Marine Sanctuary Act identified the following purposes for the sanctuary: to protect humpback whales and their habitat within the sanctuary; to educate and interpret for the public the relationship of humpback whales and the Hawaiian Islands marine environment; to manage human uses of the sanctuary consistent with the Hawaiian Islands National Marine Sanctuary Act and the National Marine Sanctuary Act; and to identify marine resources and ecosystems of national significance for possible inclusion in the sanctuary.

Sanctuary Designation in 1997

In response to public concern about what a sanctuary presence would mean to the people of Hawai`i, the Act allowed the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Governor, to modify the boundaries of the sanctuary to fulfill the purposes of the Act. Numerous public information meetings and hearings were held on each of the main Hawaiian Islands. The National Marine Sanctuary


The waters off the north shore of Kaua`i are included in the Sanctuary boundary. In addition to humpback whales, other protected marine life are visible from the refuge including the Hawaiian monk seal, spinner dolphins, green sea turtles and seabirds.

Program also established a Sanctuary Advisory Council, made up of user groups and government agencies, to provide advice and recommendations for the site's continued development and management.

The public, though still divided in its support, was assured that the sanctuary essentially would incorporate existing restrictions to enhance the protection of humpback whales and their habitat. Those restrictions primarily dealt with approaching and harassment of the whale population, discharge of wastes into the water, and alteration of the sea bed.

On June 5, 1997, over four years after the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary was designated the nation's 12th marine sanctuary, Hawai`i Governor Benjamin Cayetano, on June 5, 1997, formally approved of the sanctuary in state waters.

The NMSP periodically reviews sanctuary management plans with extensive involvement from local stakeholders and national communities. Management plan review provides an opportunity for sanctuary staff and the public to shape the future direction and management of each sanctuary. In general, during a five-year review, a Sanctuary may evaluate, and possibly revise, their operation and management framework, program areas such as education, and research, site-specific regulations, and the appropriateness of the boundary and management zones within it. The Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale Sanctuary completed its first five-year review process in 2002 by reviewing, revising and updating the existing management plan with the involvement of staff, its Sanctuary Advisory Council, the State of Hawaii and the local community. In September 2002, Governor Cayetano approved the final revised managment plan for implemetation in state waters.