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Save the Whales Save the Whales

Sea monsters of Hawaii

A long, long time ago people thought whales were sea monsters.  Their massive size inspired many myths.  Later on, as people learned more about them, they lost their fear of whales.  They began to kill them for their oil and meat to the point of endangering the survival of many species.  The whales commonly seen in Hawaii waters today are called "Humpbacks"; one of the whale species that is currently in endangerment of survival..

The common name "Humpback" comes from the way the whale dives; a diving humpback bends its body and enters the water headfirst.  A round hump appears as the whale's back disappears below the surface.

A typical humpback measures about fifty feet long and weighs thirty-five to forty-five tons.  This huge animal feeds on some of smallest creatures in the ocean.  Along with small fish, they catch tiny shrimp-like animals called krill.  A hungry humpback whale can eat three thousand pounds of krill and small fish a day.

Humpbacks don't have teeth.  Instead, inside their mouth are hundreds of growths called baleen plates.  These plates look like a huge hairy doormat.  Humpbacks eat by swimming through schools of small fish or krill with their mouth open.  They scoop up mouthfuls of water along with the live food.  The whale then shuts its mouth and the fish or krill get tangled in the fibers on the baleen plates.  Then the whale uses its huge tongue to squirt the water out, then the humpback swallows its catch.

When you see a whale, its something you really never forget.  There is no replacement for this live experience.

Oh no
Whales visiting Hawaii start heading back up north during March

Whales are not fish.  They are warm blooded mammals and the females give birth to a single calf after eleven to twelve months of pregnancy.  Mothers nurse their young for about six months with whale milk.  Whale milk has about forty percent fat and the calf grows quickly. Like other large whales, humpbacks take seven years to reach adulthood.

  For its size, a humpback's skin is quite thin - less than a half inch thick.  Beneath the skin is a layer of fat called blubber.  This fat is about two feet thick and gives the whale its round shape.  The fat also protects the whale from hypothermia.  Without it, whales would freeze in the cold water of the arctic and Antarctic oceans.  The blubber also provides a reserve energy supply.  These reserves allow the whale to go through the winter months without eating.

Whales live underwater, but they have to breathe air.  Their nose is  a blowhole on top if their head.  During a dive, thick lips keep the blowhole closed.  At the surface, the blowhole rises out of the water first.  A humpback blows as soon as it surfaces.  A spout of air, water, and mucus shoots out of the blowhole.  Once the old air is out, the whale takes a number of quick breaths then goes underwater again.  Humpbacks usually stay underwater from three to twenty-five minutes on a breath.

The humpbacks flippers are much longer than those of other whales.  Long and thin, they extend a third of its length.  These powerful flippers act as paddles to steer the humpback through the water.  Each flipper contains bones that look like a hand. 

Up and down movements of the tail speed the humpback on its way.  The two halves of the tail are called flukes.  Unlike the flippers, the flukes don't have any bones for support.  They are made up of tough muscle tissue.  A few flips of that powerful tail can send the humpback leaping high out of the water.  That power is important to humpbacks.  If they weren't such good swimmers, they couldn't make the long migrations which are part of their yearly life cycle.

Whales are more likely to breach when they are with other whales, and humpbacks breach more in rough water than in calm.

Each summer two to three thousand humpbacks feed in cold arctic seas.  When winter nears they migrate south to Hawaii.  The visit lasts from December to April.  The females give birth to their calves during these three months.  It's also the mating season.  Yahoo!

Humpbacks travel in family groups.  Young males lead the way, older males follow, with females and calves bringing up the rear.  The various family groups scatter over miles of ocean.  And they stay in contact by singing to each other.  A humpback's song isn't music in the usual sense.  The humpback repeats a series of sounds.  The song can last from six minutes to half and hour.  Sometimes one whale sings alone.  At other times more join in.  They all sing the same song too, but they start singing it at different times.  Humpbacks only sing during the winter months and they change their song every year.  They don't write a new song, however.  Herds add new parts to the old song and all the whales in the herd learn the new music.

A Love Song

The male humpback sings a beautiful song for hours on end.  He sings, floating motionless in the water.  Like a lot of male birds, humpbacks sing to attract females.  The song consists of a number of phrases repeated over and over again. 

Humpbacks don't stop to sleep during their five-thousand file migrations. They catch up on their sleep at the end of the trip.  While sleeping, a humpback whale floats near the surface.  The head and flukes hanging down limply.  They rise up every ten minutes to take a breath.  A number of boats have been wrecked by running into sleeping whales.

Each individual family sings its own song, slightly different than any other, which evolves slowly form year to year.  Whales from different areas sing distinctive themes, so scientists can tell which population a whale comes from by its song.

Humans have hunted whales for over a thousand years. Of all the whales to be taken by whalers, the humpback was the unluckiest.  All of the humpbacks habits made it easy to catch; whalers could wait for the herd to return to its feeding grounds.  Or, they could hunt the whales at their warm water mating areas.  To make it even worse, the slow swimming humpbacks were often found near shore.

If the killing had kept on, the humpback would be extinct today.  But concerned people saw the danger, and organized just in time.  They began by just saying "Save the whales, save the whales."  In 1946 a number of countries formed the International Whaling Commission (IWC).  The IWC tried to save the whales by making rules, but some of the whaling nations refused to obey them.

It appears that no one really needs whale oil, meat and bone today.  Whale oil can be replaced by petroleum or vegetable oil.  As for meat, few people outside Japan and Russia eat it.

Why does the hunting go on?  There are several reasons.  Whaling means jobs for whalers, and whale products for people who like them.  The whaling countries have money invested in ships and equipment, and its hard to give up old customs.

Conservational experts say we must give the humpback a hundred years for the herds to grow back to full size.  Given that time, they believe the gentle giant can win its battle for survival.  But, the fight isn't over.  Let's hope we can one day say to the humpbacks: "That was a close one.  We almost lost you."

Humpback are the whales that whale watchers enjoy the most because they are more gentle and friskier than other whales.

Research studies have concluded that whale watching has no negative effect on the animals.    They are accustomed to the whale watch boats and often swim over to be near the whale watchers on board.

Humpback whale threats and how you can help
Entanglement in marine debris and fishing gear is a growing problem for marine mammals.  It can hinder diving, swimming, feeding and surfacing activities as well as the overall behavior of the animal.

• Choose reusable items instead of disposables.

• Cut six pack rings before disposing of them as they may become entangled on marine life.

• Properly dispose of your trash, including cigarettes and fishing gear.

• Recycle plastics, bottles, cans and paper at the appropriate locations.

• Get involved in beach or reef clean-up.

• Do not release balloons as they often end up in the ocean and pose a threat to marine life.

Prepare for flukes!
With unpredictable whale activity, keep your finger on the camera, ready to snap at the flip of a tail.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary has proclaimed February as Humpback Whale Awareness Month!  February is the best month of the year to catch a glimpse of Hawaii's humpbacks, so get involved, and get outside to see these magnificent animals, often referred to as "gentle giants", before they head back to colder waters.

For more information about humpback whales visit:
http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov

Humpback Whale tail sighting in Hawaii
What Happened?