A University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo graduate student studying a surprising connection between ʻōpelu (mackerel scad) and koholā (humpback whales) earned top honors at the 2026 Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference. Her research could help scientists better understand how recovering humpback whale populations contribute nutrients to Hawaiʻi‘s marine food webs and fisheries.
Breeann Andrade received the Graduate Student Presentation Award for Best Outstanding Oral Presentation for research examining whether ʻōpelu change their feeding habits during humpback whale season, including whether they consume skin naturally shed by the whales.
Andrade, who earned a bachelor’s degree in marine science from UH Hilo, is now a graduate student in the university’s tropical conservation biology and environmental studies graduate program. During whale and non-whale seasons, she is studying ʻōpelu collected from Hilo, Kona and Maui Nui, the region encompassing Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe. In the lab, she analyzes what the fish eat and looks for chemical clues that can help reveal where their nutrients come from.
“I feel honored that this project allows me to uplift ʻike kūpuna/kuʻuna (ancestral knowledge/tradition) and the ancestors that were researchers long before me on a larger scale,” Andrade said. “I want the information to make its way back to the people who can use it, and not just stay in academia, because I do believe that caring and taking care of Hawaiʻi is a kākou (we) thing.”
More UH standouts
Andrade was not the only UH student recognized at the conference. Kapiʻolani Community College students Charlotte Bender, James Lee, Keala Kaaloa and Xander Nakamura earned the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Poster Presentation Award for a decade of student-led research monitoring Manu o Kū nesting on their campus. Their work has helped document nesting changes, guide tree trimming around active nests and contribute information to conservation databases.
To learn more about Andrade’s research and how she studies ʻōpelu in the field and lab, go to UH Hilo Stories.
—By Susan Enright
