It’s that time of year again: time for volunteers to count humpback whales during peak season.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is once again welcoming the participation of in-person volunteers for the 2023 Sanctuary Ocean Count, scheduled for Jan. 28, Feb. 25 and March 25.

On Maui, separately, the Pacific Whale Foundation is welcoming volunteers for the Great Whale Count on the same dates.

This is the first year since March 2020 that both programs will resume volunteer operations, officials said. In the interim, Ocean Count had been conducted by trained leaders at each site, without the participation of volunteers, due to COVID-19 safety precautions.

Since 1996 the annual Sanctuary Ocean Count has promoted public awareness about humpback whales and shore-based whale-­watching opportunities through citizen scientist participation.

On the last Saturday of the year’s first three months, site leaders and volunteers survey humpback whales from the shorelines of Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii island. They tally humpback whale sightings and document the animals’ surface behavior, which offers scientists a valuable snapshot pertaining to humpback abundance and activities in sanctuary waters.

Hawaii’s whale season usually runs from November to May, when thousands of humpback whales visit the waters around the Hawaiian Islands to breed, give birth and nurse their young.

The sanctuary is made up of five separate areas abutting six of the main isles in the state but centered mostly around Molokai, Lanai and Maui.

Participation in Ocean Count is limited for each site, and volunteers must register in advance at oceancount.org. More information about the Great Whale Count on Maui can be found at pacificwhale.org/research/community-science.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the state Division of Aquatic Resources, protects humpback whales and their habitat in Hawaii waters. Ocean Count is supported by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, official nonprofit partner of the National Marine Sanctuary System.