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The public is invited to free workshops offering guidelines for safe whale watching -- safe for the whales. Workshops offer
rules on humpbacksAn unprecedented number of
whales is expected this winterStar-Bulletin staff
The 2000 Enforcement Workshops for Hawaii's Ocean Users are aimed this year at helping people understand regulations intended to protect humpback whales in Hawaiian waters.
The workshops will be from 7 to 9 p.m. tomorrow at Tokai University Pacific Center, 2241 Kapiolani Blvd., Room 802, on Oahu, and on Thursday at the Kealakehe High School Library, 74-5000 Puohulihuli St. on the Big Island.
Sponsors are the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Enforcement, NMFS Pacific Islands Area Office of Protected Species Program and state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Naomi McIntosh, acting manager of the sanctuary, said the workshops are timely because an unprecedented number of whales is expected in Hawaiian waters during the coming winter season, based on recent scientific findings.
Representatives of various agencies will attend the workshops to discuss laws protecting endangered humpback whales.
Participants will receive a handbook with portions of federal and state laws and phone numbers to report violations and other emergencies.
Enrollment is limited, so participants are asked to register by phone, 1-800-831-4888 or 808-879-2818, or to complete a registration form on the sanctuary's Web site: http://www.hihwnms.nos.noaa.gov.