Overview

The Center for Whale Studies is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

The calendar year 2009 marks the 35^th consecutive year of this continuous research project for the husband-and-wife team of Mark and Debbie Ferrari.

The Center's field research is conducted in the Auau Channel off of West Maui.

Objectives

The objectives of our research are to understand the critical biological parameters, life history, distribution and other critical factors affecting the survival of this endangered species.

The CWS believes that benign or noninvasive observation techniques provide the only acceptable means for studying living whales in their natural environment.

We also educate the general public and, when asked, the decision makers who can implement the necessary measures to ensure this species' survival.

How We Do Our Research

A typical year involves a combination of "passive research", preparations", and the "active research" (or our on-the-water research) that occurs during the field season.

Expanding this on a calendar-year basis:

In January, we actively, (and anxiously):

Finalize our housing.
Ready the computer and camera equipment, employing the new technology learned/acquired during the year.
Repair and perform routine maintenance on the research boat.
Perform other preparations for our time away.

From February to April, we:

Get settled and organized by moving into our housing, unpacking the storage unit, and unpacking the shipping container with our gear.
Conduct our exciting (and often exhilarating) field research by photographing the whales, observing their behavior, and retrieving/cataloguing any samples. (Please Note: We employ noninvasive observation techniques, as noted above.)

May to December predominantly consists of "desk work", where we:

Do the 3 Cs: catalogue, correlate, and corroborate.
We filter through the thousands of photographs, many hours of video, and hundreds of pages of research data and notes to corroborate known behaviors, speculate on patterns, and write many papers about the unique behavior of the humpback whale. We also collaborate with other research agencies (such as NOAA, Hawaiian Islands National Marine Sanctuary, National Marine Fisheries Service, and the National Marine Mammal Laboratory), sharing our research so that we all can better understand and preserve this endangered species.
Have the unpleasant task of unpacking.
Start preparations for the next year of active field research (secure housing, learn technology, obtain new equipment, file for new permits, when applicable, etc.)