beach activities by Coast Guard personnel stationed at Kure 

 Atoll to operate a LORAN facility appear to be a continuing 

 source of disturbance for monk seals on breeding beaches. 

 The Commission first raised the problem with the Coast Guard 

 in 1975 and, while some steps have been taken to reduce or 

 eliminate problems, the situation appears unresolved. In 

 particular, off-duty personnel walking along potential monk 

 seal breeding beaches may be discouraging maturing females 

 brought through the pup capture and release program from 

 remaining at the Atoll and using favorable pupping habitat. 

 Needed actions in this regard continue to be the subject of 

 discussions between the Coast Guard and the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service. 



Some of these problems could possibly have been avoided 

 or minimized through operation of the Hawaiian Monk Seal 

 Recovery Team. However, the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service has not convened a meeting of the Recovery Team since 

 1984 and this potentially valuable forum for discussion and 

 resolution of critical issues has therefore been moribund. 

 Another problem persisting in 1986 was the Service's 

 continued unwillingness to request adequate funds to support 

 the monk seal research and management program despite the 

 species* critically endangered status. 



Therefore, by letter of 23 December 1986, the 

 Commission, in consultation with its Committee of Scientific 

 Advisors, provided the Service with a number of comments and 

 recommendations concerning priority issues regarding monk 

 seals. The Commission noted that, although a number of 

 critical management issues had arisen in the past few years, 

 essential parts of the Service's monk seal program appeared 

 to have received less support and attention than was 

 appropriate. The Commission recommended that the Service: 



re-evaluate the designation of critical habitat for 

 the Hawaiian monk seal so as to include areas 

 around certain islands and atolls of the Northwest 

 Hawaiian Islands, including Maro Reef, out to the 

 20-fathom isobath; _ 



reconstitute the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team 

 and ensure that it meet on a regular basis to 

 update the Recovery Plan and provide the Seirvice 

 with appropriate recommendations on critical 

 research and management issues; 



ensure that either the Fish and Wildlife Service or 

 the National Marine Fisheries Service maintain 

 personnel at the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife 

 Refuge field station on Tern Island at all times 

 and that the Fish and Wildlife Service be prevented 



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