Community science is the vital collaboration between researchers and the public to execute scientific projects and collect information for ongoing studies. The goal of these projects is to engage members of the public in scientific data collection to supplement our systematic research studies, while providing educational opportunities and low-cost alternatives for monitoring whales, dolphins, and marine debris. These initiatives build awareness of key issues relating to marine conservation and wildlife protection while inspiring a greater commitment to create positive change.
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
PacWhale Eco-Adventures Hawaiʻi
Pacific Whale Foundation Eco-Adventures Australia
NOAA Marine Debris Program
National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
2021: Self, H., Stack, S.H., Currie, J.J., Lusseau, D. Tourism informing conservation: The distribution of four dolphin species varies with calf presence and increases their vulnerability to vessel traffic in the four-island region of Maui, Hawai‘i. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 2:e12065. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12065
2018: Currie, J.J., Stack, S.H. and Kaufman, G.D. Conservation and Education Through Ecotourism: Using Citizen Science to Monitor Cetaceans in the Four-Island Region of Maui, Hawaii. Tourism in Marine Environments 13(2): 65-71. Download PDF
2012: Tonachella, N., Nastasi, A., Kaufman, G., Maldini, D. and Rankin, R.W. Predicting trends in humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) abundance using citizen science. Pacific Conservation Biology 18: 297-309. Download PDF
*For a full list of our research publications, click here:
https://www.pacificwhale.org/research/publications/
