Question: Does the whale die-off they’re studying include Hawaiian waters? …
Answer: No. Six humpback whales were reported dead in Hawaii waters this season, which runs from November to May, and “while this is higher than normal it was not high enough or a sustained trend to be considered as an ‘unusual mortality event,’” said David Schofield, who works for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is regional coordinator of the Marine Mammal Response Network.
The U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act defines an “unusual mortality event” (UME) as “a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response.”
There are six active UME investigations in U.S. waters, according to NOAA Fisheries, including one involving humpback whales in the Atlantic Ocean, not the Pacific.
Since January 2016, 42 humpback whales have died along the Eastern Seaboard from Maine to North Carolina. Of the 20 carcasses that were retrieved and fit for necropsy, 10 had evidence of blunt-force trauma, or propeller cuts. That is more than six times above the 16-year average of 1.5 whales showing signs of vessel strikes in that region, Fisheries reported.
You can read more about this and other UME investigations at 808ne.ws/noaaume.
Hawaii marine scientists, environmentalists and others were alert for an uptick in whale deaths this year after five were reported in November and December, early in the migratory season; but only one more was reported after that. Humpback whales migrate to Hawaii from Alaska waters to breed, calve and nurse their young. By now all but a few stragglers have headed back north.
Q: Auwe to all these junked cars. Why can’t they sell them or crush them or something?
A: Steady complaints to Kokua Line about abandoned vehicles littering Oahu’s landscape and cluttering residential neighborhoods indicate that this problem persists islandwide.
The city does hold periodic auctions of unclaimed and abandoned vehicles. Two auctions are scheduled this week, with 330 vehicles up for sale. The minimum bid for each vehicle is $50, plus whatever towing and storage fees are owed. Vehicles will be sold “as is” and “where is.”
Unclaimed vehicles will be sold Wednesday at 8 a.m. and abandoned vehicles will be sold Thursday at 8 a.m. Both auctions will be conducted online, via Honolulu Vendor Self Service (VSS).
Find more information at 808ne.ws/vehsale. This webpage, on the city’s Division of Purchasing website, includes links to a list of the vehicles for sale and instructions on how to register for VSS.
E Kala Mai
My apologies to the poor driver on Kaneohe Bay Drive near Namoku on April 20 around 9:15 a.m. Yes, I was the sorry doofus who inadvertently turned onto KBD right in front of you. I was frazzled because I was late and then made later due to roadwork. When I came to the intersection, my brain registered that you were turning onto Namoku so I thought I had just enough time to quickly squeeze in onto KBD. Imagine my surprise and fright when I realized you were coming at me as I turned onto KBD. I gunned forward so as to keep you from having to slam your brakes. I couldn’t figure out how/why you had appeared so close until it dawned on me that it wasn’t you who had been turning onto Namoku — it was a motorcyclist. My brain caught the movement but didn’t attribute it to the correct person. My very deepest apologies. It was not my intention to so rudely cut you off; guess it was a frazzled brain hiccup. I hope your day wasn’t ruined by my stupidity. — From, the fool who rushed in
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
