Over 1,000 Volunteers Help Count Koholā During 30th Anniversary of Program

April 28, 2026

Person with binoculars along with three people in chairs looking out at ocean from a cliff coastline — Sanctuary Ocean Count volunteers scouting the ocean for koholā at Lānaʻi Lookout on Oʻahu. Photo: Catherine Takata-Tonini/NOAA

During the 2026 30th Anniversary of Sanctuary Ocean Count, volunteers went to their designated sites on the islands of O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Molokaʻi and Hawai‘i to count koholā, or humpback whales, and record any other species seen. At the same time, Pacific Whale Foundation Great Whale Count volunteers collected data from Maui and Lānaʻi, marking the eighth year that both counts were coordinated on the same days, ensuring the data from all the main Hawaiian Islands were collected simultaneously. The counts took place from 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on the last Saturday of January, February, and March.

As the koholā migrate back to their summer feeding grounds in Alaska, we're provideing a recap from this season. This year, more than 1,200 volunteers participated and observed 4,325 koholā during the count events. Due to the nature of how data is collected, the total number may represent duplicate sightings of the same koholā by different observers or at different time periods or locations throughout the days. Volunteers were also able to connect with and educate 1,632 members of the public who stopped by our sites to learn more about koholā and the Sanctuary Ocean Count program.

A bar graph of the number of humpback whales observed at 2026 Ocean Count events. — This bar graph shows the number of total koholā observed (y-axis) during each month's count event (x-axis). Figure: NOAA

The official tally of koholā observed during the count events was:

January: 1,954
February: 1,935
March: 436

The number of whales observed at the March count showed a 77.7% decrease from January and a 53% decrease from February. Historically, volunteers often observe fewer koholā in March as more whales start their migration back to their high latitude summer feeding grounds. Additionally, Hawai‘i experienced a series of Kona Low storms in March 2026; this historic rainfall and flooding may have contributed to reduced visibility from shore.

While the annual counts provide a snapshot of koholā presence in Hawaiian waters, scientists combine this valuable community data with other research and long-term monitoring to dive deeper into understanding broader ecological changes. Dr. Anke Kügler created an interactive map visualization that tracks Sanctuary Ocean Count and Great Whale Count data over the past 12 years. Koholā serve as a sentinel species or bellwethers of change, providing early warnings about the health of the marine environment. The long-term data gathered by Sanctuary Ocean Count and Great Whale Count volunteers plays an important role in tracking the population of koholā through time and space to assess their resilience and survival.

The 2027 Sanctuary Ocean Count dates are scheduled for January 30, February 27, and March 27, with registration scheduled to open for the first count in early January.

Humpback whale with half its body sticking up out of surface of water in middle of ocean — Koholā observed off of Hawaiian Paradise Park cliffs on Hawaiʻi Island. Photo: George Correa

"We want to mahalo all our volunteers who participated this season and we look forward to welcoming back the koholā for the 2027 season. Cheers to 30 years and counting!" –Cindy Among-Serrao, Hawai'i Island Program Coordinator

Sanctuary Ocean Count is supported by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. For more information, contact Cindy.Among-Serrao@noaa.gov.