Youngmi Choi©SPC

For a current Stock Assessment Report (SAR), please visit:
NOAA Fisheries - Office of Protected Resources - Marine Mammal SAR, Small Cetaceans

On October 1, 2009, the NOAA Fisheries Service (also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service) received a petition by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to list the Hawaiian insular population of false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) as an endangered species and designate critical habitat to ensure its recovery pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended.

Currently NOAA Fisheries is reviewing the information contained in the petition and will make a finding as to whether the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned actions may be warranted. To the maximum extent practicable, this decision must be made within 90 days of receiving the petition. If the 90-day finding concludes substantial information exists such that the listing may be warranted, NOAA Fisheries shall commence a review of the status of the Hawaiian insular population of false killer whales and shall make, within 12 months of receipt of the petition, a determination as to whether the petitioned action is warranted. If the 90-day finding concludes the petition does not present substantial information indicating the petitioned actions may be warranted, then the petition will be denied and no further action will be taken. In either case, NOAA Fisheries will announce the decision and how we intend to proceed in the Federal Register.

• Petition to list the insular population of the Hawaiian false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (October 2009, pdf 260kB)

When: November 19-20, 2009

Where:
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Office
6600 Kalanianaole Hwy, #301
Honolulu, Hawaii

What time:
November 19, 9am-5pm
November 20, 9am-2:30pm

• Long, slender, almost entirely black bodies with an anchor-shaped gray patch on their ventral side and a rounded, conical head.
• Pectoral fins with a distinct hump that points backwards.
• Most distinguishing feature are 7-12 pairs of large conical teeth that resemble teeth of a killer whale.
• Adults size range from 16-20 feet and weigh from 1,000-3,000 pounds, with males at the upper end of the scale.
• They are highly social animals forming pods of 10-40 individuals in Hawaii, and up to 100 individuals elsewhere.

• Primarily fish and squid.  Those in Hawaiian waters feed primarily on mahi mahi and yellowfin tuna. This poses a problem for the whales which can be injured or entangled by the fishing gear. It also poses problems for the longline fishermen who suffer economic losses as a result of the whales depredating thier catch.

Lifespan

• Estimated 58 years for males and 63 years for females.

Reproduction

• Reach sexual maturity at lengths of 12-14 feet.
• Breeding seasons lasts several months.
• Females have a gestation period that lasts from 14-16 months and calve approximately every seven years. 
• At birth a false killer whale can measure 5-6 feet and weigh 175 pounds.

• Widely distributed in all of the oceans preferring deep tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate waters. 
• In the Pacific Island Region they are found through out the Hawaiian islands in both shallow and deep water.

• Interactions with fisheries
• Marine debris entanglement or ingestion
• Anthropogenic noise
• Marine polluntants

• Marine Mammal Stranding/Entanglement Hotline: 1-888-245-9840

• Cascadia Research, false killer whale information
• Marine Mammal and Turtle Viewing Guidelines
• Long-term site fidelity, inter-island movements, and association patterns (Aug 2008, pdf 1.7 MB)
• Dorsal Fin Disfigurement as Possible Indicator of Long-Line Fishery Interactions in Hawaiian Waters (June 2005, pdf 293 kB)
• Fact Sheet - False Killer Whale (Oct 2005, pdf 238kB)
• Fisheries Global Information System (FIGIS) Species Fact Sheet