Hawaii usually sees a large number of humpback whales enter its waters starting in December and continuing through the winter months. This year however, experts are worried by the looming absence of the whales. Only a few have been sighted and the numbers are not the nearly 10,000 that are seen every year. This could seriously affect Hawaii's whale tourism sector.
Humpback whales visit Hawaii during the winter months and head back to northern waters during summer, when they are near the polar north feeding on the marine life and food available in the seas there. So, in a manner similar to several other species of birds, fish and other animals, they feed themselves during the summer to help them through the winter months. During the winter, they migrate to warmer waters in order to mate and give birth. This is a part of the migratory pattern that they have internalized into their systems, according to the San Diego Top News Examiner.
Humpback whales are also a significant part of the Hawaiian economy. There are a large number of marine tour operators and guides that rely on the economy around the humpback whales. Indeed, a significant number of the thousands of tourists that land in Hawaii during the winter holiday periods are curious and want to see the whales that visit the islands, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
The delay of coming of the whales means that the people and communities that depend on the whale tourism industry are all affected.
Experts have wondered about what the potential causes of the delay might be. Among the theories are that it could be a result of the success of the species itself because there are now many more whales than there used to be before, they are therefore they are apparently fighting among themselves for the same finite quantities of food. Another theory is that the El Niño effect has made the northern waters warmer than before - and hence there has been a delay in their journeys south to start their mating activities (and to giving birth to their young), according to The Guardian.
