sonnel from the Tern Island field station in the Hawaiian 

 Islands National Wildlife Refuge. As many as 170 seals have 

 been observed hauled out on that Island at one time and, as 

 noted in the letters, the presence of Service personnel on the 

 Island provides, among other things, an important deterrent 

 against unauthorized landings by fishermen or other individuals 

 who might disturb seals and cause them to abandon the area. 



The Fish and Wildlife Service responded to the Commission's 

 letters on 11 February 1987. It noted that it was continuing 

 to explore options to maintain an operational station on Tern 

 Island while reducing costs to meet budget constraints. Its 

 preferred option was to establish a 10-month field camp on 

 the Island and remove personnel during December and January. 

 The Service noted that consultations with the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service were underway to assess the possible effects 

 of this option on monk seals. Congress subsequently provided 

 a special appropriation to the Fish and Wildlife Service to 

 maintain the Tern Island field station in 1987, thus avoiding 

 the need to make a decision on closing or restricting operation 

 of the facility. The issue could, however, be raised again 

 in 1988. 



Critical Habitat 



As noted in the previous Annual Report, on 30 April 



1986, the National Marine Fisheries Service designated all 

 beaches, lagoons, and ocean waters out to a depth of 10 fathoms 

 around most Northwest Hawaiian Islands as critical habitat 



for monk seals. The Service's action was not fully consistent 

 with the advice of either the Commission or the Hawaiian Monk 

 Seal Recovery Team, both of which had recommended that waters 

 out to the 20-fathom isobath be designated critical habitat. 

 Both the Commission and the Recovery Team had noted that 

 waters beyond the 10-fathom isobath provided essential feeding 

 habitat for monk seals. After reviewing the rationale for 

 the Service's decision, the Commission wrote to the Service 

 on 26 September 1986 recommending that the matter be re-opened 

 for public comment to receive information on special management 

 considerations that apparently had not been considered in 

 reaching the decision, and that the Service extend the desig- 

 nated critical habitat out to 20 fathoms. As noted above, 

 these recommendations were repeated in the Commission's 23 

 December 1986 letter. 



On 15 July 1987, the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 published a Federal Register notice requesting comments on 

 whether the area between 10 and 20 fathoms around the Northwest 

 Hawaiian Islands might require special management considerations 

 or protection needs for monk seals which would justify its 

 designation as critical habitat. By letter of 14 August 



1987, the Commission, in consultation with its Committee of 



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