Cascadia Research Collective

Purpose: to Conduct Research on False Killer Whales Around Hawaii to Inform the Interactions Between False Killer Whales and Fisheries. This Research Is Intended to Help Reduce Interactions Between False Killer Whales and Fishers and to Understand Whale Demographics, Abundance, and Movement Patterns. This Project Has Four Main Objectives: 1. to Obtain and Analyze Data From Pelagic False Killer Whales to Inform Mitigation Measures to Reduce Fishery Interactions. This Will Include Satellite Tagging and Analysis of Satellite Tag Data to: 1) Better Understand How Pelagic Groups Interact With Longline Gear (through Analyses of Tag, Logbook, and Observer Program Data); and 2) to Determine What Factors (e.g., Eddy Systems) Promote the Co-occurrence of Pelagic False Killer Whales, Their Prey, and Fishing Vessels Both in the United States, and Foreign Fleets. This Project Will Also Assess New Photos for Evidence of Fishery Interactions to Better Understand How the Likelihood of Interacting Wi