Groups Conducting Humpback Whale Research Under Permit

The following groups were granted humpback whale research permits by the State of Hawaii for the 2008-2009 whale season:

CETOS Research Collective
Principal Investigator: Ann Zoidis, M.S.
Co-Investigator: Andy Day, Tom Norris
The researchers of CETOS Research Collective plan to continue to conduct an underwater behavior and acoustic study of humpback whales. They will collect social sounds made between animals (particularly between mothers and calves) while recording behaviors at the same time. They are also attempting to verify that the calf is producing a unique type of social sound (vs. the mother or some other adult in the pod). In addition, they will continue to assess behaviors that occur during social sound production and assess if there are certain group compositions, behaviors or configurations that result in social sound production.


The Dolphin Institute
Principal Investigator: Adam Pack, Ph.D
Co-Investigator: Lou Herman, Andrea Bendlin, Elia Herman, Aliza Milette, Jamie Gibbon, Joel Barkin
The Dolphin Institute will continue long-term population studies of humpbacks in the Eastern, Western and Central North Pacific Ocean.  These studies include: 1) in air photo identification of individuals to determine individual life histories, social role, migration, habitat use, distribution, and reproductive status; 2) underwater videogrammetry to determine the sizes of animals in different social roles and the relationship of size to social role and derive sexual maturity estimations; 3) underwater videography to document behaviors and aid in sex determination; 4) passive accoustic recordings to determine song source levels and propagation characteristics; 5) crittercam studies of animals to help in understanding mating system; 6) skin biopsy sampling for sex determination and individual identification to supplement the crittercam information.


Hawaii Whale Research Foundation
Principal Investigator: Dan R. Salden, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator: Phillip Colla, David Glickman, Jeff Kalbach, Jill Mickelson, Doug Perrine, Linda Silvers, Harrison Stubbs, Beck Straussner
The Hawaii Whale Research Foundation will continue to work on long-term association patterns and periodicity in humpbacks.  The research emphasizes fluke identification -- looking for new animals as well as resights.  Also their research will continue to focus on humpback whale competitive group dynamics on the Maui winter grounds.


West Coast Whale Research Foundation - Whale Trust
Principal Investigator: Jim Darling
Co-Investigator: Karen Miller, Meagan Jones, Charles Nicklin, Elizabeth Mathews
The researchers of the West Coast Whale Research Foundation will continue long-term research on the function of the humpback whale song.  This includes playback experiments by playing specific sounds to subject whales and monitoring the reaction.  Previous research has also included female reproductive strategies and photo-identification.


Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale NMS
Principal Investigator: David Mattila
Co-Investigator: Edward Lyman
The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary’s research for this season will include full-body image collection for scar and health monitoring and to also continue with SPLASH follow-up research/analysis. 


Hawaii Marine Mammal Consortium
Principal Investigator: Christine Gabriele
Co-Investigator: Susan Yin, Suzanne Rickards, Adam Frankel
The research of the Hawaii Marine Mammal Consortium includes all cetaceans in Hawaiian waters including the following endangered species:  blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), fin whale (B. physalus), humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), sei whale (B. borealis), and sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus).  Specifically, the primary research topics are:  1) humpback whale biology and behavioral ecology, 2) stock structure, demography, movement patterns, relative distribution of cetaceans, and 3) vocalizations and behavior of cetaceans in Hawaiian waters.  The core study area is the leeward coast of the island of Hawaii, but activities might be conducted in any of the near shore waters of the main and northwestern Hawaiian Islands, including waters off the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument.


Center for Whale Studies
Principal Investigator: Deborah A. Glockner-Ferrari
Co-Investigator: Mark J. Ferrari
The Center for Whale Studies will continue the long-term study of the life history and vital parameters (trends in reproduction, behavior and distribution patterns) of the North Pacific humpback whale in the waters around Hawaii.  Their study focuses on identifying individual whales (especially mothers and calves) and documenting calf/juvenile abnormalities and mortalities.


California State University, CI - Keiki Kohola Project
Principal Investigator: Rachel Cartwright, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator: Terence Mangold, Amy Venema
The researchers of California State University, Channel Islands, plan to study the behavior and dynamics of humpback whale female and calf pairs in the waters off of Maui.  Up to 540 takes for close vessel approach, photo-identification, focal follows, underwater observations, collection of sloughed skin, and incidental harassment are requested annually to test the hypotheses that behavior, dynamics and distribution of female/calf pairs varies between different stocks and may be influenced by abiotic factors such as aspects of bathymetry, water quality, and levels of vessel traffic.


Marine Mammal Research Program Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
Principal Investigator: Whitlow W. L. Au, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator: Alison Stimpert
The overall objective of the proposed research conducted by the Marine Mammal Research Program, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, is to determine many aspects of the behavior and use of acoustic environment by large whales, focusing on the Hawaiian populations of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and two species of beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris and Mesoplodon densirostris) as models. They use passive acoustic recording and suction-cup tagging techniques to investigate these issues. Acoustic data collection involves recording sounds produced by humpback whales, as well as ambient noise, using towed hydrophone arrays. Tagging operations produce behavioral diving and movement data as well as acoustic recordings from the tags. Behavioral observation and photo identification are used to supplement acoustic and tagging data.  Specific objectives in using acoustic tags are to understand how cetaceans use acoustics to coordinate and mediate behavior within a group environment, to understand how echolocation is used in foraging, and to determine the acoustic characteristics of the animals’ sound production, especially when they dive to deep depths.


Cascadia Research Collective
Principal Investigator: Robin Baird
Co-Investigator: Daniel Webster, Gregory Schorr
The Cascadia Research Collective team’s efforts actually focus on odontocetes but will opportunistically obtain humpback whale data to help understand humpback whale biology and behavioral ecology including stock structure, demography, movement patterns, and relative distribution.


University of Hawaii Hilo
Principal Investigator: Jason Turner, Ph.D.
The researchers from University of Hawaii in Hilo plan to conduct weekly survey cruises from January-April in waters surrounding Hilo Bay, Hawai'i.  Survey information including group size estimation, number of calves, position, and direction of movement will be recorded for each group encountered.  Photographs will be taken of both the ventral portion of the fluke and dorsal fin for all individuals.  Digital photos will be analyzed and used to compare to 1) identified humpback whales from other locations in the Hawaiian Islands and 2) identified humpback whales from Bering Sea populations.  Recordings will be analyzed with Jan Straley from UA-Sitka during her two-week stay in Hilo to work with UH Hilo marine mammal course.