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Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi ) 



The Hawaiian monk seal, which inhabits a limited area 

 around the Leeward Hawaiian Islands, is in serious danger of 

 extinction. Even so, it appears to be the only member of 

 the genus Monachus that has a reasonable possibility of 

 surviving into the next century. Of its two congeners, the 

 Caribbean species (M. tropicalis ) appears to be extinct and 

 the Mediterranean species TmI monachus ) is declining rapidly. 

 Without a sustained and vigorous effort by the responsible 

 State and Federal agencies, as well as public interest and 

 industry groups, the Hawaiian monk seal may soon share this 

 fate . 



Protection and conservation of the Hawaiian monk seal 

 is the responsibility of the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service under provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act 

 and the Endangered Species Act. Because the species' range 

 includes the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, the 

 Fish and Wildlife Service shares responsibility for protecting 

 the monk seal and its habitat. 



The Commission has worked for several years to focus 

 attention on the serious problems facing the Hawaiian monk 

 seal and Congress has shown that it shares these concerns. 

 In Fiscal Year 1981, the Commission received a special 

 $100,000 appropriation to aid in development of an effective 

 research and management program and, during that year, the 

 Commission worked with the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 to begin development of a monk seal recovery plan. The 

 following year, Congress directed the Service to invest 

 $400,000 in monk seal work and the Commission consulted with 

 the Service to determine the most appropriate use of these 

 funds. 



By mid-1982, it was apparent that this infusion of 

 money was having a beneficial effect on the direction and 

 progress of monk seal research and management, but that many 

 problems remained. Working with the Service, the Commission 

 described needed research tasks in order of priority. 

 Subsequently, the Service was directed by Congress to budget 

 $150,000 for monk seal work in Fiscal Year 1983. Further 

 Congressional action provided the Commission with an additional 

 $150,000 to support monk seal recovery activities, thus 

 bringing the total Federal investment for Fiscal Year 1983 

 to $300,000. 



Throughout 1983, the Commission and the Service consulted 

 on specific research tasks to be carried out. The 24-26 

 February meeting of the Commission and its Committee of 



