PacWhale Eco-Adventures to Launch New Finders Free Program

With World Whale Day coming up Feb. 20, PacWhale Eco-Adventures, a for-profit social enterprise benefitting the non-profit ocean advocacy organization Pacific Whale Foundation, announced the launch of its Finders Free initiative. This program will start on the 20^th and be a global recognition of cetacean conservation spearheaded in Hawai’i.

The Finders Free program encourages ecotour passengers to exchange high-resolution pictures of whale fluke, the underside of a humpback whale’s tail, for a complimentary future excursion. The researchers collect images of whale flukes to document resights of previously identified and catalogued whales, a research method known as Marked Rights.

In order to participate, travelers should submit images of humpback whale flukes captured this year aboard a PacWhale Eco-Adventure ecotour. The guidelines and instructions can be found here and all participants must complete the form. If your images match one already logged into PWF’s Photo-ID catalog, you will receive a complimentary PacWhale ecotour within four to six weeks of receipt of submission.

Participants can submit photos through the close of 2022’s whale-watching season in mid-April. The PacWhale’s Finders Free program encourages the public to engage in research and conservation efforts through community science. The goal of PWF’s community science is to create educational opportunities while supplementing systematic research studies with low-cost alternatives to monitoring sea life.