More humpback whales were counted Saturday during the first of three whale counts of the year versus the previous most comparable year, 2022.

Volunteers in 44 sites across the main Hawaiian Islands counted 315 whales between the 9-9:15 a.m. peak period.

In 2023 poor weather meant that observers could staff only 30 sites and none on Maui because of flooding, said Jens Currie, chief scientist at the Pacific Whale Foundation.

So 2022’s January whale count — when observers at 45 sites counted 278 whales 9-9:15 a.m. Jan. 28 — provided the most comparable recent data.

The 37 additional whales counted Saturday gave Currie early optimism for Hawaii’s whale population — at least for the first of three counts scheduled this year.

“We counted more whales this year compared to the most comparable period,” Currie told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “That’s what we like to see.”

This year marks the sixth time that the Pacific Whale Foundation’s Great Whale Count and the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count data are coordinating their counts on the same day to avoid duplication that could skew their numbers and provide better accuracy.

The next counts are scheduled for the last Saturdays in February and March, during peak whale season.

The Pacific Whale Foundation spotted its first humpback whale of the season in Maui waters in late October.

Every year, thousands of whales travel over 3,500 miles from Alaska waters to the warmer oceans of Hawaii to breed, give birth and nurse their young.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary protects humpback whales and their habitat in and around Maui County waters. The sanctuary is made up of five areas abutting six of the main isles in the state but centered mostly around Molokai, Lanai and Maui.