Awaiting the decision on Hawaii's resident whale

As we sit and wait to hear the government’s decision about whether to list Hawaii’s insular false killer whale as an endangered population, I begin to wonder – just what will this distinction do?

Securing endangered or threatened species status is in and of itself enormously important, and for this reason NRDC was responsible for submitting the petition concerning the Hawaiian insular false killer whale, first blogged about last year. With NMFS’ status report clearly supporting an endangered listing, we should start to think about the next step to rebuilding this threatened population.

Mother and Calf off the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Credit: NOAA NMFS

Taking place right now is the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Management Plan Review. This review creates an opportunity to include the whales in the conservation plan for the Sanctuary, which lies entirely within the core range of these whales. Due to its long residence in these waters, the Hawaiian insular population has developed genetic and behavioral characteristics that are distinct from other populations of false killer whales. This makes it unique and dependent on its home, including the Sanctuary.

Sanctuary map with ocean depth, credit: NOAA

One important plank in whatever strategic plan might result from an endangered species listing should be to add the Hawaiian insular false killer whale as an official  resource of the National Marine Sanctuary.  Establishing this partnership between Sanctuary management and population recovery would help both the whales and their extraordinary habitat.