Whale-ship collisions to be addressed

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Science Writer

Every year in Hawai'i and elsewhere, humpback whales are injured in collisions with ships and boats.

Since 1998 in Hawai'i, there have been seven reported collisions, four of which resulted in death or serious injury to the whale. And that may represent just a quarter of the actual number of collisions, according to local maritime experts surveyed on the subject.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary will try to better understand the issue and develop solutions in a three-day conference starting today at the Wailea Marriott on Maui. Sanctuary officials hope the sessions will lead to recommendations for minimizing such impacts.

Whale-ship interaction is a problem in every ocean and with several species of whales. Among humpbacks, collisions are reported in the Atlantic and the Pacific.

Two-thirds of the Hawai'i-reported impacts occurred in waters around Maui, said a report prepared for the sanctuary by Marc Lammers of Oceanwide Science Institute.

Lammers said a survey of printed materials back to 1975 showed 23 impacts. He reported that in cases in which size or age was known, calves and juvenile whales showed up more frequently.

He said the number of collisions appears to be rising.

"As the North Pacific population continues its recovery following decades of exploitation from whaling, more whales are showing up in the Islands each year," Lammers said. "Combine this with the rise in popularity of whale watching and other near-shore boating activities and more incidents are bound to take place."

More than 60 members of the marine community are expected to attend this week's workshop.

For more information on the Web, visit www.hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.