Marine Mammals of the 

 Pacific Region and Hawaii 



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INTRODUCTION 



The Pacific region has 65 stocks of at least 37 

 species of marine mammals. The U.S. Fish and 

 Wildlik' Service is responsible for managing two 

 stocks of sea otters (central Calitornia and Wash- 

 ington), while the National Marine Fisheries Ser- 

 vice (NMFS) has management authority for the 

 cetacean and pinniped stocks. According to the 

 criteria provided in the 1994 Amendments to the 

 Matine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), these 

 include 1 1 strategic stocks. In the eastern Pacific 

 (i.e. waters ol Washington, Oregon. California, 

 and northern Mexico), the strategic stocks include; 

 endangered sperm, humpback, blue, fm, and sei 

 whales; short-fmned pilot whales, mesoplodont 

 beaked whales, and threatened Guadalupe fur seals. 

 Strategic stocks in Hawaiian waters include en- 



dangered blue, fm, and sperm whales, and Ha- 

 waiian monk seals. 



Table 23-1 summarizes the status of marine 

 mammal stocks in the Pacific tegion. Important 

 population parameters of the stocks and their sta- 

 tirs under the various protected species laws are in- 

 cluded. Some selected stocks are discussed below. 



HAWAIIAN MONK SEAL 



Stock Definition and 

 Geographic Range 



Hawaiian monk seals are distributed through- 

 out the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHl) 

 in six main reproductive populations at French 

 Frigate Shoals, Laysan Island, Lisianski Island, 

 Pearl and Hermes Reef Midway Atoll, and Kiue 



Unit 



23 



NMFS SOUTHWEST 

 FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER 



La Jolla 

 California 



Hawaiian monk seal and 

 red-footed boobies. North- 

 western Hawaiian Islands 

 National Wildlife Refuge. 



237 



