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Over 12,000 humpback whales migrate every winter from the frigid surroundings of Alaska into the waters of Hawaii. This journey of about 3,000 miles is the longest migration that any mammal undertakes annually.
It is during the fall when humpback whales move south from their nutrient-rich feeding grounds in the North Pacific Ocean into warmer, shallower water where they can breed and give birth.
The balmy waters around the Hawaiian Islands are a perfect haven for mothers to deliver and nurse their calves. Humpbacks, during this time from November to May, do not feed but use up the fat stocks they acquire during the summer in Alaska that would sustain them on their long trip back.
Fasting saves them some energy for such a long journey and helps them focus on reproducing.
The migration is as vital to the reproduction process, though very important for protection from predators. The shallow waters of Hawaii have fewer orcas which are a main threat to young calves.
Giving birth in these relatively safe environments increases the chances of calves surviving until they are strong enough to embark on the return journey north.
Recent rescue operations of humpback whales
In the last weeks, the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary was engaged in actively rescuing life-threatening entangled humpback whales. The responders were successful in freeing two whales off Maui on January 8 and 9, 2025.
The first incident reported was a subadult whale entangled with about 200 feet of medium gauge line wrapped around its mouth and tail, according to reports from The Maui News. It was such an extreme entanglement that would have seriously impeded the ability of the whale to swim freely or feed.
A local tour operator had alerted the rescue team, which quickly mobilized to assist the distressed animal. They launched an inflatable boat from their main vessel to approach the whale safely and cut away the entangling gear. It successfully performed the operation, and shortly afterward, the whale swam free.
On the following day, January 9, another rescue operation was conducted after reports indicated that an adult humpback whale was entangled off Kahana. Onshore observers and drone operators pointed out that this whale had three tight wraps of heavier gauge lines around its body and additional wraps constricting its right pectoral flipper.
Trained responders from the sanctuary coordinated once more with the response team on board a dedicated research vessel in West Maui to get the significant parts of the entangling gear out.
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In fact, the gear removed consisted of all three wraps around the body and one around the flipper. However, several dangerous wraps around the bottom of the right flipper remained unreleased.
Since mid-December 2024, eight entanglements of humpback whales have been reported in the waters of Hawaii, an indication of a persisting problem in the face of rising marine debris levels for marine mammals.
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