Congressman Abercrombie has introduced a bill to establish a national program that would coordinate and focus research into humankind’s effects on marine mammals, such as the endangered humpback whale, in the world’s oceans. He announced the bill’s introduction at a news conference at Diamond Head in Waikiki where a part of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is located. He later joined volunteers taking part in the start of the sanctuary’s annual whale count, as humpbacks by the thousands return to Hawaiian waters for breeding, calving, and nursing. ____________________________________ Photo below: Each year, volunteers gather at pre-determined locations around Hawaii to conduct a survey of humpback whales that return to spend the winter months in warm Hawaiian waters. These two volunteers are standing at Diamond Head Lookout in Honolulu.
