Saving Humpback Whales Through Science and Response

September 15, 2026

Ed Lyman, Large Whale Entanglement Response Coordinator, NOAA’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

Humpback whales are impacted by many risk factors, like ship strikes, environmental change, and entanglement. In some cases, as in entanglements, we can directly respond and free the animals. However, the ultimate goal lies with the science and associated technology, helping us monitor and better understand the threats and their impacts to reduce them for other animals in the future. The presentation will illustrate our response and some of the science associated with it through a short film, "Saving Koholā" and an image-rich presentation.