Islanders can count on humpback whales to arrive every winter, and the whales can depend on volunteers to be watching for the annual Sanctuary Ocean Count, an attempt to calculate the number of whales in Hawaii waters.

This year the count will be conducted at more than 60 shore sites around Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island. Counts will be held on Jan. 30, Feb. 27 and March 27 between 8 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.

To be part of the project, volunteers on Oahu and the Big Island can register online. To sign up by phone, call 397-2651, ext. 253, on Oahu, 246-2860 on Kauai and (888) 55-WHALE, ext. 253, on the Big Island.

The count is supported by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.