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Posted: Monday, January 7th, 2013 9:29 AM HST

Volunteers needed for annual humpback whale count

By Associated Press

KAULUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) — Volunteers are needed for this year's humpback whale count. As many as 12,000 of humpback whales are estimated to come to Hawaii annually, traveling a distance of about 2,500 to 3,000 miles from their summer feeding areas near Alaska. West Hawaii Today says hundreds of volunteers are needed to watch for whales and record behaviors. They will spend three Saturdays looking for whales as part of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary's Ocean Count. The count is a yearly shore-based census that provides snapshot data on whale population and distribution throughout Hawaii.