#whaleweek

I believe I can fly.

I believe I can touch the sky.

I think about it every night and day.

Spread my fins and fly away.

Unfortunately, whales can't fly. But, they can jump out of the water, also known as breaching! Though humpback whales are relatively slow swimmers, able to swim at about 15 miles per hour but averaging only two to nine miles per hour, they’re amazing acrobats.

Learn more about humpback whales by visiting:

Do you hear that? 🐳🔊

Every winter, thousands of humpback whales travel to the warm, shallow waters of Hawai‘i to mate, give birth, and raise their young. These whales are famous for their vocalizations, which are important for communication, orientation and navigation, hunting prey, and avoiding predators.

Learn how researchers use acoustic surveys to understand more about humpback whale populations: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/mar21/new-disentanglement-tool.html

Photo: Ed Lyman/NOAA taken under NOAA permit #14682

Humpback whale season is underway in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

Sightings of the colossal marine mammals peak between the months of January and March, then gradually decline until humpback season ends in early May. Each year provides opportunities for whale watching, research, and citizen science, and the need for entanglement response.

Read about this year’s especially eventful season here: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/feb22/season-of-sanctuary.html

There’s a lot of buzz about whales lately!🐝

Want to stay in the loop and stay informed about our planet’s largest mammals? Check out our handy whale resource collection! Explore a collection of NOAA videos, lesson plans, posters, webinars, web stories, virtual reality, and more to gain a deeper understanding of whale species and NOAA's efforts within the sanctuary system to protect and understand them.

Explore here: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/teachers/whales/

Description: Minke whale breaches out of the water in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

This NOAA team spent Valentine's Day disentangling a humpback whale from 550 feet of line and marine debris off the coast of Maui.

Whale disentanglement is a challenging task that requires the innovative tools, unshakable teamwork, and sometimes agonizing patience.

Check out this Earth Is Blue video to see a NOAA-led response team hard at work: https://youtu.be/PiGpCniujng

It's Whale Week!

Whale entanglements are a big problem that a number of our sanctuaries are investigating. But what's the best way to cut a whale free when the line is embedded in the blubber? Check out one innovative idea from Hawaii that stems from bamboo!

Read all about it here: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/mar21/new-disentanglement-tool.html

Photo: Michael Griffin/USCG, under NOAA Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program Permit # 932-1905-1

hover whales!