{"id":217252,"date":"2025-06-08T08:15:22","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T18:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=217252"},"modified":"2025-06-06T14:45:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-07T00:45:36","slug":"humpback-whale-film-mmrp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/06\/08\/humpback-whale-film-mmrp\/","title":{"rendered":"New humpback whale film reveals epic journey, urgent science"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_34704\"  width=\"676\" height=\"380\"  data-origwidth=\"676\" data-origheight=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xmrksxoTYEk?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"In the Wake of Whales: New Discoveries That Could Change Ocean Conservation\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>Breathtaking footage of humpback whales is part of a new 12-minute video released in partnership between the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmrphawaii.org\/\">Marine Mammal Research Program<\/a> (<abbr>MMRP<\/abbr>) at the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa and <a href=\"https:\/\/dolphinquest.com\/\">Dolphin Quest<\/a>, in celebration of World Ocean Day (June 8). &ldquo;In the Wake of Whales&rdquo; follows <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> scientists as they study and monitor the annual migration of humpback whales from Alaska to <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-drone-shot-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"whales in the ocean\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-217255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-drone-shot-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-drone-shot-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-drone-shot.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The video offers fascinating insights into one of nature\u2019s most remarkable journeys&#8212;when thousands of whales travel nearly 3,000 miles to <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> each year to give birth. Among the many facts shared: pregnant females do not eat during the journey, relying entirely on their fat reserves; and a single pregnancy costs a mother about 22 million calories, including 97 pounds of fetal growth per day in the final months.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Understanding the biology and behavior of humpback whales is essential, especially now as changing ocean conditions threatens their habitats and migratory patterns,&rdquo; said <abbr>MMRP<\/abbr> Director Lars Bejder. &ldquo;This video helps explain how their endurance and sacrifices are truly extraordinary.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>Whale tails, whale tales<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-closeup-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"closeup of whales\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-217257\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-closeup-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-closeup-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-closeup.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The video features researchers documenting whale behaviors, collecting data and photographing the flukes of individual whales. These unique tail markings act as <abbr title=\"Identification\">ID<\/abbr>s and are uploaded to Happy Whale, a global database available to scientists and the public. With more than 10,000 whales cataloged&#8212;representing about 80&#37; of the estimated 12,000 whales that migrate to <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>&#8212;<abbr>MMRP<\/abbr>\u2019s collection is the largest in the world.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Dolphin Quest is honored to support this research and help share it with the public,&rdquo; said Dolphin Quest Co-Founder Rae Stone. &ldquo;This project combines the best of science, education and conservation\u2014and makes it accessible for everyone.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-underwater-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"whale underwater\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-217259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-underwater-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-underwater-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-underwater.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><abbr>MMRP<\/abbr> operates from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.himb.hawaii.edu\/\"><span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Institute of Marine Biology<\/a> on Moku o <span aria-label=\"Loe\">Lo&#699;e<\/span> in <span aria-label=\"Kaneohe\">K\u0101ne&#699;ohe<\/span> Bay and has been focused on humpback whale research for the past five years, in strategic collaboration with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alaskawhalefoundation.org\/\">Alaska Whale Foundation<\/a>. This work has helped illuminate how changing ocean conditions and increased marine heatwaves may be affecting whale health, reproduction and migration.<\/p>\n<p>Dolphin Quest, founded in 1988, has locations on <span aria-label=\"Oahu\">O&#699;ahu<\/span>, <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and Bermuda. Its mission is &ldquo;to protect marine animals and their environments through experiential learning and scientific discovery.&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/dolphinquest.com\/scientific-studies-overview\/\">Learn more about their worldwide conservation impact<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-screen-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"tracking whales on a screen\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-217261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-screen-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-screen-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-screen.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The video aims to inspire and educate viewers of all ages on the importance of protecting humpback whales. At the end of the film, a QR code invites viewers to support ongoing research and conservation efforts. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmrphawaii.org\/donate\">Visit the <abbr>MMRP<\/abbr> website to support marine mammal research<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xmrksxoTYEk\">&ldquo;In the Wake of Whales&rdquo; is now available for viewing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-crew.jpg\" alt=\"two people launching a drone into the air\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-217262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-crew.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-crew-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-crew-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A powerful new film captures the incredible journey of humpback whales and the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> scientists working to protect them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":217255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[665,53,1467,1363,1314,175,936,937,107,92,73,9,56],"class_list":["post-217252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-conservation","tag-hawaii-institute-of-marine-biology","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-research","tag-manoa-sustainability","tag-marine-biology","tag-marine-mammal-research-program","tag-marine-mammals","tag-oceanography","tag-school-of-ocean-and-earth-science-and-technology","tag-sustainability","tag-uh-manoa","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-mmrp-in-the-wake-of-whales-drone-shot.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217252"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":217272,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217252\/revisions\/217272"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}