The State - News from Nov. 19, 1985

Two award-winning researchers who helped Humphrey the humpback whale return to the sea said they will search for him this winter in the waters off Hawaii. Mark Ferrari and his wife, Debbie, who slept only four hours a night during Humphrey’s 25-day inland journey through the Sacramento Delta, said they will be able to recognize Humphrey if they spot the huge mammal during their underwater research. “We don’t know if he’ll be there or not,” Debbie Ferrari, 34, said. “We’re hoping he will. If not this year, maybe next year or the years in the future.” She said finding Humphrey is important to the researchers because it will add to the store of knowledge about the endangered species. “For one thing, we’ll be able to get an idea of his migration time,” she said. “If he’s there as soon as we arrive in January, then we’ll know the maximum amount of time it took him to get there.”