Aloha Friends and Colleagues, Lead author Marc Lammers and co-authors Julia Zeh, Eden Zang, Ed Lyman and I are excited to announce that our article "Humpback whale feeding behavior and defecation observed on the Hawaiian breeding grounds" has just been published in the journal *Marine Mammal Science*. The paper is open access and available online at http://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13177 <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13177__;!!PvDODwlR4mBZyAb0!UY096Qe96Wkx1dL-pDqMqadkpeiYTJ6m87OHpcNyFt6BhnNueof2QJk8S6uw-6T2bnansRGP4UO9TUsPBjMZH9s$> . The citation and abstract are pasted below. For correspondence about the paper, feel free to contact lead author Dr. Marc Lammers at marc.lammers@noaa.gov. Best wishes and hope to see you all in Perth, Adam Lammers, M.O., Zeh, J., Pack, A. A., Zang, E. & Lyman, E. (2024). Humpback whale feeding behavior and defecation observed on the Hawaiian breeding grounds. Marine Mammal Science, e13177. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13177 Humpback whales and other baleen whales are considered capital breeders, and during migration and breeding, their metabolic needs are thought to be met by breakdown of adipose tissue, resulting in a loss of body mass while migrating thousands of kilometers and engaging in breeding behavior. However, feeding behavior and other evidence of foraging, like defecation and stomach contents of stranded whales, have been observed in winter breeding areas, suggesting that opportunistic feeding may not be uncommon. We report two recent documented instances of humpback whales lunge feeding on schools of fish and on 27 observations of whale defecation in Hawaiian waters during the winter breeding season. These observations raise questions about what prey species whales might be consuming while in Hawaiʻi, where and when they might be foraging, and how important this behavior is for the whales and for Hawaiʻi’s marine ecosystem. -- Adam A. Pack, Ph.D. Professor Departments of Psychology and Biology University of Hawai'i at Hilo University Classroom Building UCB 264 200 West Kawili Street Hilo, Hawai'i 96720 (Office Voice): 808-932-7082 (Email): pack@hawaii.edu (Faculty Webpage): https://hilo.hawaii.edu/faculty/adam-a-pack/ (UH Hilo Lab): https://hilo.hawaii.edu/faculty/adam-a-pack/marine-mammal-lab/ (Non-profit organization): https://thedolphininstitute.org/ Recent PBS Documentary Films: Humpback Health: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0_pvMeGVho Mystery of the Humpback Whale Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgEQ0TUjZh0 "Do or do not; there is no try." Yoda