Aloha and Welcome to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary! The Sanctuary protects humpback whales and their habitat in Hawai`i. ANNOUNCEMENTS A humpback mother and its calf. Photo credit: Flip Nicklin, Minden Pictures, NOAA Fisheries Permit #987 Governor Lingle and Lt. Governor Aiona Proclaim February as Humpback Whale Awareness Month in Hawai`i! As many as 10,000 humpback whales may visit Hawaiian waters every year from November through May. The month of February is peak humpback whale season so it's the perfect time to get outside and spot humpback whales. Find out more about what's happening during Humpback Whale Awareness Month around the state. Want to find out what you can do to help protect Hawai`i's humpbacks, check out our Get Involved Flyer (pdf version). SAFE BOATING CAMPAIGN! In an effort to protect humpback whales and promote safe boating practices the sanctuary has launched a special Ocean Etiquette campaign. Visit the campaign webpage to download pertinent materials as well as public service announcements and advertisements. If you're a boater, learn what you can do to stay safe on the water at one of the sanctuary's statewide boater workshops. SANCTUARY OCEAN COUNT Register now for the 2008 Sanctuary Ocean Count! Be sure to get your 2008 Sanctuary Ocean Count T-shirt while they last! Click here to download an order form. Volunteers often see whales breaching when they take time to watch for them during the Sanctuary Ocean Count. Photo Credit: Suzanne Canja The Sanctuary Ocean Count is an annual event that places volunteers at various shore locations around the Big Island, Kaua`i, O`ahu and Kaho‘olawe. Participants count the number of humpback whales that they see and record the types of whale behaviors that they witness. The 2008 whale count will take place the last Saturday of January, February, and March. If you are interested in participating or if you would like to learn more about the annual Sanctuary Ocean Count project, click here. CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MARINE MAMMAL EMERGENCIES Do you need to report a marine mammal violation, entanglement, stranding, or other emergency? Click here to find out how. SUPPORT THE SANCTUARY BY SUPPORTING THE NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY FOUNDATION The sanctuary needs your help to protect humpback whales. Find out how you can make a donation to the program of your choice or how you can support the Sanctuary in other ways. HAWAII...SUPPORT THE SANCTUARY BY PURCHASING A SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATE THAT FEATURES THE SANCTUARY LOGO! Purchase a specialty license plate featuring the sanctuary logo. All proceeds will benefit the education and outreach efforts of the sanctuary. Download a flyer or visit your local Division of Motor Vehicles office for more details. STATE OF THE SANCTUARY REPORT FOR 2006 RELEASED! The National Marine Sanctuary Program is making major strides in developing results-oriented resource protection, science, management and educational programs. Visit the website to find out more about the program’s key 2006 accomplishments and our progress toward delivering results in marine conservation. SIGN-UP FOR THE SANCTUARY'S LISTSERVE If you'd like to receive information on the Sanctuary's current activities, please join our new email listserve. Find out more now. VISIT OUR KID'S PAGE! Please visit our kids page to download games and activities that teach about Hawai`i's marine environment. ONLINE OCEAN ENCYCLOPEDIA AVAILABLE Learn more about the fascinating flora and fauna of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and other national marine sanctuaries through a new online encyclopedia. SANCTUARY PUBLICATIONS The Sanctuary is proud to offer its education publications online. Please visit the Publications web page for more information. CONSTRUCTION ON NEW KIHEI FACILITY At its Kihei headquarters, the sanctuary is renovating existing facilitites, building a new multi-purpose building on site and removing the existing storage sheds. This new building will house additional office space, storage facilites, and a large space for public programs. Visit the Kihei Facility Project web page for more information. VISIT THE SANCTUARY EDUCATION CENTER The Sanctuary Education Center located in Kihei, Maui is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday thru Friday. Please come visit us. Click here for directions.   A Note about Language The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary recognizes the rich markings of the Hawaiian language and has made every effort to include them here. However, the limitations of common fonts have prevented many of these markings from appearing. The sanctuary will continue to remain sensitive to the Hawaiian language and will include these markings wherever possible. Accessibility This site has been designed to be accessible to the visually impaired. The Site Index is a simple text listing of every page on the site. Links | Search | Contact Us | About the Site | Site Index Credits & Acknowledgements | Privacy Policy The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is jointly managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Hawai`i, Department of Land and Natural Resources.     The sanctuary is part of the National Marine Sanctuary Program, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Depertment of Commerce. Please visit the following Web sites for more information: Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Ocean Service National Marine Sanctuaries Program  Revised by the HIHWNMS web team on February 18, 2008. URL: http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/Welcome.html. [top]