Hawaiian Monk Seal

Dog That Runs in Rough Water

Amanda Kraynik

Like many others I went through life being very much of a dog person. Therefore, it is no coincidence that I fell in love with the Hawaiian monk seal after I learned that the ancient Hawaiian name for the it is “llio holo I ka uaua” which means “dog that runs in rough water”.

(https://www.flickr.com/photos/kauai-photo/6975863796)

Even though these seals are normally Silvery- grey with cream bellies all newborns like the one above are born black.  Weighing only 35lbs and being 3 feet long it is hard to believe that this pup could get up to 375-450lbs, be 7-7.5 feet and get as old as 30 ("The Marine Mammal Center.").

As you can pretty much tell by the name you can find Hawaiian monk seals near the Hawaiian Islands in the places least used by humans.  These guys live in six major breeding subpopulations know as: Kure Atoll, Midway Islands, Pearl and Hermes Reef, Lisianski Island, Laysan Island, and French Frigate Shoals ("Hawaiian Monk Seal :: NOAA Fisheries.").

 (http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/hawaiianmonkseal.pdf)

 (http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/education/marine-mammal-information/pinnipeds/hawaiian-monk-seal/)

Hawaiian monk seals send about 2/3 of their life in the water and use the beaches only for mating and sleeping during the ("The Marine Mammal Center.").  During the night is when the adults normally will hunt for food.  They’re main food of choice include fish, cephalopods, crustaceans, and sometimes even eel ("Hawaiian Monk Seals, Hawaiian Monk Seal Pictures, Hawaiian Monk Seal Facts- National Geographic.").  However, when diving for food these seals have to be very careful because lurking in the waters may be Tiger or Galapagos sharks that prey on them. 

(http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/education/marine-mammal-information/pinnipeds/hawaiian-monk-seal/)

Now that I have aided in you falling in love with these mammals it is time for the harsh truth.  On August 22, 2007 the Hawaiian monk seal was marked as endangered on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ("Species and Populations with Recovery Plans.").    It is now the most endangered marine mammal in the world. In the 19^th century these seals were hunted to the brink of extinction.  Their numbers are decreasing 4% annually and there are fewer than 1200 individuals left ("The Marine Mammal Center.").

The Hawaiian Monk seal is a population of Monk Seals which are considered “living fossils” since their closest relative is 15 million years old ("Hawaiian Monk Seal :: NOAA Fisheries.").  There were 3 different populations but as of the 1970’s the Caribbean Monk Seal became completely extinct.  Now there are only 2 populations left and the Hawaiian Monk Seal may be the next to go.

Hawaiian Monk seal

(http://www.ionian-island.co.uk/greece/index.php/en/kefalonia/kefalonia-nature)

Caribbean Monk Seal

(http://www.animalspot.net/caribbean-monk-seal.html)

Mediterranean Monk Seal

(http://www.animalspot.net/mediterranean-monk-seal.html)

There are 4 main causes to the decline in the monk seal population: food limitations, human interactions, disease outbreaks, and mobbing.

FOOD LIMITATIONS:

Causes: Too many marine animals to compete with

Recovery Plan Fix: In order to help juveniles grow to be adults who can produce offspring the US Fish and Wildlife Service is trying to rehabilitate seals that are malnourished and translocate females so that their survival rates are higher (Recovery Plan). 

HUMAN INTERACTIONS:

Causes: Bycatch from fisheries, beach disturbances and entanglement in debris

Recovery Plan Fix: Several ideas have been brought up to lower human interactions with the Hawaiian Monk Seal.  A few of these deal with fisheries such as incorporating source markers into gear and trying to lower deaths due to bycatch.  The US Fish and Wildlife service is also trying to rehabilitate habitats and educate people on how to reduce debris (Recovery Plan). 

DISEASE OUTBREAKS:

Causes: Leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis, West Nile virus and low genetic diversity

Recovery Plan Fix:  Although it is hard to stop the spread of diseases the US Fish and Wildlife Service is setting contingency management plans and trying to examine sick animals in order to create vaccines that can be used to help (Recovery Plan). 

MOBBING:

Causes:  Male aggression towards females due to a male dominated ratio in the species

Recovery Plan Fix:  The US Fish and Wildlife Service is trying it’s best to remove aggressive males and treat the injuries of females so that females have a better chance of survival (Recovery Plan). 

DELISTING CRITERIA:

·      Population exceeds 2,900 total Hawaiian Monk Seals

·      At least 5 of the 6 sub-populations must be above 100 seals

·      Growth rates in the sub-populations must be positive

This criteria must be met for 20 years in order for the Hawaiian Monk Seal to be removed from the endangered species list (Recovery Plan). 

WHAT CAN YOU DO????

·      Participate in clean-up programs on beaches

o   If you are interesting in participating here is an organization that does clean-ups monthly https://www.808cleanups.org

·      Recycle plastics and other materials that could potentially become marine debris

·      Even though they look cute please don’t interact with any seal species because feeding and interacting with them will cause the wildlife services to remove the seal from the wild

·      Report any stranded or entangled marine animals to NOAA Fisheries Marine Mammals Hotline 1-888-256-9840

·      If you’d like to learn more about the Hawaiian Monk Seal and how to protect it, you can watch this video created by NOAA.  http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid660572737001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAmZfSubE~,RcH_vKEgcc8H4dTxFK_bcbVM8tx2ZgwW&bctid=1490299159001

CITATIONS:

"Hawaiian Monk Seal :: NOAA Fisheries." NOAA Fisheries. NOAA      Fisheries, n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2016.

Recovery Plan. N.p.: US Fish and Wildlife Services, 22 Aug. 2007. PDF.

Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife. "Species and Populations with Recovery Plans." Species and Populations with Recovery Plans. US Fish and Wildlife Service, n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2016.

Society, National Geographic. "Hawaiian Monk Seals, Hawaiian Monk Seal Pictures, Hawaiian Monk Seal Facts- National Geographic." National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2016.

"The Marine Mammal Center." The Marine Mammal Center. The Marine Mammal Center, n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2016.