Monthly Archives: February 2012

February is Humpback Whale Awareness Month

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February is Humpback Whale Month – Kauai, Hawaii

“The goal of Humpback Whale Awareness Month is to enhance public awareness of Hawai‘i’s official state marine mammal and increase public involvement in ocean stewardship. ”

“Hawai‘i is a special place for humpback whales,” said Naomi McIntosh, Sanctuary Superintendent. “Because Hawai‘i is the only state in the United States where humpbacks mate, calve and nurse, it is essential that they are protected here. Humpback Whale Awareness Month provides opportunities for the public to find out more about the sanctuary and humpback whales, and learn how anyone in Hawai‘i can play a role in protecting humpback whales and Hawai‘i’s other ocean resources.”

Na Pali Riders Raft Tours is located in Kauai. The Humpback whales are here in record numbers this season. We invite you to join a whale watching tour if you are going to be visiting between December – May. Please visit our website at http://www.napaliriders.com

Kauai Welcomed Over 1 Million Visitors in 2011

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LĪHU’E – Tourism officials today released 2011 Hawai‘i visitor statistics that showed Kaua‘i having an increase over the previous year in every category.

“This is great news and points to a gradual economic recovery,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr. “We will continue to proactively look for ways to support putting our people back to work in the visitor industry as well as other sectors on Kaua’i.”

The annual report by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority included the following Kaua’i highlights:

· Total arrivals surpassed one million – 1,015, 264 – which represents a 6.3 percent increase.
· Total expenditures jumped 18.9 percent.
· Amount spent per person per day saw a double-digit gain of 10.9 percent.
· Average length of stay went up .9 percent.

“I think we’re seeing the positive results of all the marketing campaigns that were launched by the Kaua’i Visitor’s Bureau in collaboration with the county over the last couple of years,” said George Costa, director of the Office of Economic Development. “We knew that if we started something, it would benefit us in the long run.”

He said that the big push began in 2010 with $1 million tourism stimulus package, which targeted the West Coast, Canada as well as kama‘āina.

Last year, the county spent $200,000 on several programs including: American Girl “Kanani” promotion; Kama‘āina campaign, which highlighted the Royal Coconut Coast resorts; Pirates of the Caribbean sweepstakes; Canada blitz; the Kaua’i Made and Kaua’i Marathon programs; as well as film promotions and press trips.

“The production of four movies also helped Kaua’i’s economy while they were filmed here – Soul Surfer, Just Go With It, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Descendents,” said Costa. “And as these films continue to get recognition, I think we’ll reap the benefits in the years to come.”

While KVB and the county have been instrumental in fuelling Kaua’i’s main economic engine, officials are aware of the potential impacts to the island, and recently implemented administrative rules governing county parks to ensure that the county’s recreational facilities are well-managed and protected for all to enjoy.
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Visit Na Pali Riders Raft Tours in Kauai

Kauai Whale Watching Tours

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Kauai Whale Watching Tours

MEDIA RELEASE (Hawaii 24/7, 20 Jan. 2012)

Humpback Whale Poster

The non-profit Hawai’i Marine Mammal Consortium (HMMC) is pleased to announce the release of a glossy, full-color art poster of humpback whale tail fluke photographs. The poster illustrates the beauty of humpback whale flukes and how scientists use them to study whales. Like human fingerprints, the shape, color, and markings on the tail flukes of humpback whales are unique to each whale. The poster shows 56 photographs of 53 different whales with a built-in “fluke matching” quiz to identify three whales that appear twice in the photos. The answers can be found at the HMMC website: www.hmmc.org

Sightings of individually identified whales over the years help scientists to describe their social behavior, migrations, and life histories. The website shows information about the sighting history of each whale and links to pages about whale biology and behavior. All photographs were taken under a NOAA Fisheries Scientific Research Permit.

Copies of the poster are available at select locations on Hawai’i Island, including Hawai’i Ocean Sports and The Gallery at Bamboo Restaurant in Hawi. It is also available by mail through the HMMC website. The purchase of the poster is tax deductible, and proceeds will directly support HMMC’s whale and dolphin research in Hawai’i.

The HMMC is a Waimea-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2003 by four biologists who first met while conducting whale research for the University of Hawai’i on the Big Island in the early 1990′s. Local residents may have noticed this group at their hillside whale observation site off Akoni Pule Highway just north of Kawaihae and from their vessel-based work each winter out of Kawaihae Harbor. The HMMC also assists with whale disentanglement efforts led by the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. The group focuses on marine mammal conservation, research and education and has a science advisory group from top universities around the U.S. and abroad. The HMMC hosts education programs for classes of high school and college students from Hawai’i and the mainland, including an annual week-long class on whale bioacoustics for Cornell University students and a collaboration with faculty at the University of Alaska Southeast in Sitka and the University of Hawai’i Hilo to connect students from Hawai’i and Alaska. For more information about HMMC scientists, research, education programs and scientific papers, visit www.hmmc.org or email info@hmmc.org