from taking action to close or temporarily abandon 

 this station unless and until full public discus- 

 sion of the issues and section 7 consultations 

 under the Endangered species Act have been 

 concluded; 



undertake research to better document the nature 

 and likelihood of interactions between monk seals 

 and bottomfish fisheries; 



ensure that adequate funding for critical monk seal 

 research and management actions is sought and 

 provided pending recovery and removal of the 

 species from the list of endangered and threatened 

 species; and 



advise the U.S. Coast Guard that it should initiate 

 consultations with the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service under section 7 of the Endangered Species 

 Act on the activities of U.S. Coast Guard personnel 

 on Kure Atoll. 



A formal response to the Commission's 2 3 December letter 

 had not been received by the end of 1986. However, the newly 

 appointed Director of the Service informally advised the 

 Commission that the Service planned to examine both the Coast 

 Guard activities on Kure Atoll and the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service plans for abandoning Tern Island and, if 

 circumstances warrant, to request that consultations under 

 section 7 of the Endangered Species Act be initiated with 

 both agencies. The Director also indicated a willingness to 

 reconstitute the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team to evaluate 

 research needs relative to monk seal habitat use patterns and 

 to review progress on implementing the Hawaiian Monk Seal 

 Recovery Plan. Based on the results of its reviews, the 

 Service will determine if additional management actions are 

 required to provide adequate protection. The Commission is 

 encouraged by the positive steps being taken by the Service's 

 new Director. 



Caribbean Monk Seal (Monachus tropicalis) 



The Caribbean monk seal's historic range was primarily 

 the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, and its prehistoric 

 range may have extended as far north as South Carolina. The 

 species is thought to have been relatively abundant prior to 

 the mid-19th century, but over-exploitation and loss of 

 habitat resulting from human activities subsequently reduced 

 its numbers to perilously low levels. The last confirmed 

 sighting of the species in the United States occurred in 

 1922, and the last verified record of the species was that of 



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