With respect to research, the participants reviewed and provided 

 comments on plans to: monitor components of the monk seal 

 population, particularly pups and females; conduct further 

 depth-of-dive studies to better assess habitat use patterns; 

 analyze data on trends in population parameters; use captive 

 animals and field experiments to evaluate possible ways to 

 reduce or control aberrant male reproductive behavior which 

 has caused the death of several female seals at Laysan Island; 

 and evaluate permit requirements for future research activities. 



With respect to management, participants considered and 

 provided comments on plans for: continuing the pup capture 

 and release program to help rebuild the population at Kure 

 Atoll; continuing the removal and rehabilitation of emaciated 

 pups from French Frigate Shoals to increase their chances of 

 survival; instituting a monk seal die-off response plan so as 

 to be prepared to respond promptly in the event of a large 

 scale die-off like that which occurred at Laysan Island in 

 1978; continuing to monitor and remove marine debris from 

 beaches when it might entangle and kill monk seal pups; con- 

 tinuing consultations with the Coast Guard on ways to reduce 

 disturbance of seals on Kure Atoll; consulting further with 

 the Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure continued operation 

 of the field station on Tern Island; designating critical 

 habitat; convening the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team; and 

 updating the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Plan. 



At the end of 1987, the Commission and its Committee of 

 Scientific Advisors were considering the results of the program 

 review to identify any additional measures that should be 

 taken to ensure that planned research and management programs 

 are properly oriented. In 1988, the Commission will continue 

 to work with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Fish 

 and Wildlife Service, and such other organizations as may be 

 appropriate to update and expedite implementation of the 

 Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Plan. 



North Pacific Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus) 



North Pacific fur seals occur seasonally in waters through- 

 out the rim of the North Pacific Ocean. Most pupping and 

 breeding occurs on Robben Island in the Okhotsk Sea, the 

 Kuril Islands in the western North Pacific, the Commander 

 Islands in the western Bering Sea, and the Pribilof Islands 

 in the eastern Bering Sea. New pupping and breeding colonies 

 established themselves on San Miguel Island off southern 

 California in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and, more 

 recently, on Bogoslof Island in the Aleutian chain. 



Commercial exploitation of the North Pacific fur seal 

 dates back to the 1700s when the species* pupping and breeding 



24 



