Historic Odontocete Stranding Events Hawaiian Mariana Islands 1848-2023

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This review examines historical data from 535 odontocete stranding events in the Mariana archipelago and Hawaiian Islands by date, location and species and spans the time period of 1848 to 2023. Reports of strandings increased across the two geographic regions that were generally consistent over time. A total of 54 historical stranding events that represent 14 odontocete species are described for the Mariana Islands. A total of 481 stranding events that represent 19 odontocete species are described from the Hawaiian Islands, significantly updating the last published report that examined 202 odontocete strandings that occurred in the main Hawaiian Islands between 1937 and 2002. ArcGIS cluster maps were utilized to identify groupings of stranding events across the geographic regions. The majority of strandings in the Mariana Islands were reported from the west and southeastern coast of Guam, followed by Saipan, Rota and Tinian. Stranding hotspots in the Hawaiian Islands were identified at Mā’alaea Bay, Maui, at windward Oʻahu and near Kailua-Kona on Hawaiʻi Island.