Posted on: Sunday, May 11, 2003
Massive humpback study in the works
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Staff Writer
Marine scientists are planning the most comprehensive whale study ever in an effort to answer key questions about the humpbacks that ply the waters of Hawai'i and the rest of the North Pacific.
The ambitious study would cost an estimated $4.5 million, take at least two and a half years and involve up to 100 scientists conducting research from North America to Japan, and Central America to Russia.
The study — known as SPLASH for Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance and Status of Humpbacks — seeks not only an accurate estimate of humpback numbers but a greater understanding of the animal's genetics. Employing biopsy sampling and genetic analysis of tissues, scientists hope to shed some light on a variety of unknowns, including the whale's mating habits, diet, mortality rates and evolution.
Some accounts of pre-contact Hawai'i, for example, don't mention the whales, suggesting they are a relative newcomer here.
"Was the Hawaiian population started by just a handful of animals? Did it build up over time? Hopefully we'll get some insights into questions such as these," said David Matilla, science and rescue coordinator for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
Scientists acknowledge that humpback population estimates are somewhat sketchy. Before whaling ended in the 1960s, the population was believed to have been around 15,000. The latest studies indicate the population is about 6,000 to 8,000, but those figures are based on 10-year-old data.
The SPLASH project proposes to come up with more precise data by hiring researchers across the Pacific to count the whales using photo identification and other methods.
Researchers also will be sent to remote areas where little is known about the whales, including the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.
"Obtaining this data is critical to understanding the status of the North Pacific population," said John Calambokidis, senior research biologist of Cascadia Research in Columbia, Wash., and the study's regional coordinator for Washington, Oregon and California.
The study also hopes to gain a better understanding of the structure of regional populations, including how faithfully they return to summer feeding grounds and winter mating grounds such as Hawai'i, their migratory routes and how much mixing with other humpback populations occurs.
Calambokidis said researchers will be taking note of scars from entanglements and ship strikes in an effort to determine how much of a threat ocean traffic is to the humpbacks.
"We won't know how much they have recovered until we know the threats they face," he said.
Whale researcher Mark Ferrari said the study and its findings promise to be a significant addition to the body of humpback whale science. But he's skeptical that enough money will be found to pull off the project as proposed, given national spending priorities.
"I'll believe it when I see it," he said.
First-year financing from the federal sanctuary program has been tentatively allocated for the study, but organizers say support must come from other countries. Matilla, the Hawai'i regional coordinator for the study, said financing options do exist, and those are being explored.
Another challenge is coordination. Although more than a dozen scientists from both sides of the Pacific have signed on to help run the project, organizers will have to rely on the help of marine scientists already conducting their own studies.
"We're hoping everybody at some level will be participating," Matilla said. "We'll have to find ways to merge what they're doing with this."
