(BIVN) – The first whale count of the 2026 season was held on the Hawaiian islands this past weekend. 

355 koholā, or humpback whales, were counted from the shores of the Big Island on January 31st, part of the 1,954 whales observed across all islands that day. That total number is down by 158 whales from the number counted in January 2025. 

This was the first of three counts scheduled for early 2026. 

From a news release by the NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary:

Data collected during the Sanctuary Ocean Count and Great Whale Count combined with other research efforts can help reveal trends in humpback whale occurrence within and amongst whale seasons.

Across the main Hawaiian Islands, weather conditions were ideal for observing whales across the majority of sites with sunny skies, light winds and calm seas. Some sites were impacted by the high surf which made it more difficult for observing whales from the shoreline. A variety of other species were also spotted during the count including honu (green sea turtles), ʻīlioholoikauaua (Hawaiian monk seal), naiʻa (spinner dolphins) and multiple bird species such as koaʻe ʻula (red-tailed tropicbird), ʻiwa (great frigatebird), ʻuaʻu kani (wedge-tailed shearwater), noio kōhā (brown noddy), nēnē (Hawaiian goose), and more.

Ocean Count promotes public awareness about humpback whales and shore-based whale watching opportunities. Volunteers tally humpback whale sightings and document the animals’ surface behavior during the survey, which provides a snapshot of humpback whale activity. Ocean Count is supported by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

The Lānaʻi Lookout (Photo by Cat Takata-Tonini/NOAA)

The Great Whale Count by Pacific Whale Foundation had site leaders count whales from shore as part of a long-term survey of humpback whales in Hawaiʻi, with 12 survey sites along the shoreline of Maui and one site on the shoreline of Lānaʻi. This event provides a snapshot of trends in relative abundance of whales and is one of the world’s longest-running community science projects.

Both counts take place three times during peak whale season annually on the last Saturday in January, February, and March.

2026 marks the Sanctuary Ocean Counts 30th anniversary, officials say.