The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (HIHWNMS) is a federally protected marine area offshore of the Hawaiian Islands. It encompasses five separate marine protected areas accessible from six of the eight main Hawaiian Islands. See below for more information on the poster and the Sanctuary.

• Size - 11” x 18”

• Paper - 120lb uncoated cover stock

Established in 1988, the Sanctuary protects 1,445 square miles (3,730 square kilometers) and supports a variety of marine habitats, including shallow reefs, deep-sea canyons, and open ocean waters. Because the Hawaiian Islands are such an important breeding habitat for the population, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary was created to offer protection for whales while in their prefered habitats, which are the relatively shallow waters less than about 600 feet deep that are found around the islands. These areas include Penguin Bank, the Maui Nui region (Maui, Lāna‘i, Moloka‘i, and Kaho‘olawe), Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, Hawai‘i Island, and O‘ahu.

In addition to humpback whales, 23 other cetacean species have been observed in Hawaiian waters, including the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), the false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris), and the spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata).

Source: NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries Program