The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) and the Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SFSC) are embarking on the 2023 Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey (HICEAS). The comprehensive study of marine ecosystems will take place now through December and cover approximately 1.8 million square nautical miles of water around the Hawaiian Islands, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“We are taking off for a mission on the high seas!" PIFSC posted July 24 on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. "As part of the Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey, researchers are studying the populations and habitats of whales, dolphins, and seabirds in Hawai’i.”
The survey, the only comprehensive study of its kind in the islands according to NOAA Fisheries, will cover waters in an area referred to as the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), extending approximately 200 square miles offshore. Collaboration is required to ensure the survey is a success, the release states, thus PIFSC and SFSC will be carrying out the survey aboard two NOAA ships, the Oscar Elton Sette and the Reuben Lasker, the release reports
HICEAS 2023 marks the fourth HICEAS survey conducted in the EEZ, the release reports. HICEAS 2023 will be conducted using a line-transect method where straight lines are strategically placed across the study area to systematically gather data on whale and dolphin species, enabling an estimation of their population sizes. This year's survey closely resembled the previous three conducted in 2002, 2010, and 2017.
The survey will focus on three major research components, NOAA Fisheries reports: Visual Observations, Passive Acoustic Monitoring, and Ecosystem Assessments.
Visual observations will include photo-identification, biopsy sampling, and satellite tagging. In passive acoustic monitoring, researching will use towed hydrophone arrays and drifting records to detect and track animals via sound. Ecosystem assessment will include daily conductivity, temperature, and depth assessments to provide habitat information.