Aloha!
One of the classes I am taking this semester is Biology of Marine Mammals. For lab on Wednesday mornings, we take a boat out in Hilo bay to observe and collect data on humpback whales. During the winter months, humpback whales come all the way down to the warmer waters of Hawaii to mate and raise their young, so my professor takes this as an opportunity to study the whales and allow his students to learn how to collect data that can be applied to real studies. Humpback whale populations have significantly declined in recent years. The data we collect can help us understand their population dynamics better as well as determine the population growth/decline rate. We have only been out once so far, but above is a picture captured by one of the students during lab. It is so incredible that I have this opportunity to study these magnificent animals up close :)
Fun Fact: In Hawaii, getting too close to any marine mammal can result in a massive fine. However, if you are carrying a permit such as the one we have for this class (MARE 390L), we are allowed to be much closer (which lets us study them more easily and up close!). 

Comments

  1. Radha PatelJanuary 31, 2020 at 7:10 AM

    Hi! My name is Radha Patel. I am an academic engagement peer leader at UofSC Student Success Center. Taking a boat out in Hilo bay and observing and collecting data on humpback whales sounds amazing. It looks like you have learned so much about humpback whales! I am glad you are enjoying your time in Hilo, this is a such a great opportunity to expand on your knowledge on marine animals. I look forward to keeping up with your blog posts & seeing plenty of pictures!

    -Radha

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    Replies
    1. Kate WagnerFebruary 4, 2020 at 12:04 AM

      Thank you so much! Glad you’re enjoying my blog!

      Delete

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