1999 

 OUR LIVING OCEANS 



Number 

 of seals 



Average beach counts 



lation trends at Kure Atoll, Midway Atoll, and 

 French Frigate Shoals appear to have been deter- 

 mined by the pattern of human disturbance. Such 

 disiiirhanccs caused pregnant females to abandon 

 prime pupping habitat and nursing females to 

 abandon their pups, thereby increasing juvenile 

 mortality. 



Since 1979, disturbance from human activi- 

 ties on land has generally declined and is currently 

 a matter of concern at only Midway Island, where 

 opportunities for ecotourism must be carefully 

 monitored and controlled to prevent such distur- 

 bances. Development and expansion of fisheries 

 during the 1970's in the NWHl has led to inter- 

 actions detrimental to monk seals. Ihc interac- 

 tions fall into four categories: operations and gear 

 conflict, potential entanglement in fisheries de- 

 bris, seal consumption of potentially toxic discard, 

 and competition for prey. Direct Hawaiian monk 

 seal interactions have involved four fisheries: the 

 NWHl lobster fishery, the NWHI bottomfish fish- 

 ery, the pelagic longline fishery, and recreational 

 fisheries in the Main Hawaiian Islands. Recent 

 construction efforts and the establishment of a Pro- 

 tected Species Zone around the Northwestern Ha- 

 waiian Islands appear to have substantially reduced 

 the potential for direct fisheries interactions. Pos- 

 sible indirect interactions with fisheries, such as 

 competition for lobster or the degradation of for- 

 aging habitat associated with precious coral har- 

 vesting, require further investigation. 



Status of Stock 



Figure 23-1 



Average beach counts of Ha- 

 waiian monk seals (exclud- 

 ing Midway Island and 

 pups). 



Year 



its recovery. In the 1800's, this species was deci- 

 mated by sealers, surviving sailors of wrecked ship.s, 

 and guano and feather hunters. A 19S8 survey in- 

 dicated at least partial recovery of the species in 

 the first half of this century; however, subsequent 

 surveys documented a second major decline be- 

 ginning in 1958 (or earlier), during which several 

 populations (Kure Atoll, Midway Atoll, and Pearl 

 and Hermes Reef) decreased by 80-100%. Popu- 



In 1976, the Hawaiian monk seal was desig- 

 nated as endangered under the Kndangered Spe- 

 cies Act (ESA) and depleted under the MMPA. 

 Under the methodology specified in the 1994 

 amendments to the MMPA (NMFS, 1996), and 

 employing the values of N (a conservative esti- 

 mate of the minimum population of the stock) 

 and R (one-half the maximum theoretical or 

 estimated net productivity rate of the stock at a 

 small population size) or 1,42.5 monk seals and 

 0.07/yr, respectively, the calculated potential bio- 

 logical removal (PBR) is 5 seals. However, the ESA 

 takes precedence in the management of this spe- 

 cies and, under the ESA, the allowable take of 

 monk seals is zero. The species is assumed to be 



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