Chapter 11 — Species of Special Concern 



Islands. It therefore recommended that the Service 

 consult with the Council under section 7 of the 

 Endangered Species Act. The purpose of the consul- 

 tations would be to determine whether, in light of the 

 recent declines in both species, the definition of 

 overfishing and other measures in the crustacean 

 fishery management plan fully reflect ecological 

 relationships between monk seals and lobsters as 

 required by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and 

 Management Act. Also, the consultation should 

 determine whether the plan provides a level of protec- 

 tion for lobster stocks sufficient to assure recovery of 

 monk seals. 



Head Start and Pup Rehabilitation Programs 



Since the late 1950s, Hawaiian monk seal numbers 

 have declined significantly in the western end of the 

 Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. At Kure Atoll, the 

 westernmost island in the chain, the decline appears to 

 have been related to the disturbance of seals on 

 pupping beaches by Coast Guard personnel stationed 

 on the atoll and to a very low pup survival rate 

 through the first year of life. Births on the atoll 

 gradually declined as breeding females disappeared 

 and apparently died. They reached a low point In 

 1986 when only one pup was bom. 



To help rebuild the number of breeding females at 

 Kure, the National Marine Fisheries Service began a 

 head start program in 1981. The effort Involves 

 removing newly weaned female pups from the beaches 

 of Kure, placing them In an enclosed pen on the 

 atoll's shoreline, raising them through their first 

 summer in the protective enclosure, and releasing 

 them back Into the wild at Kure. From 1981 through 

 1991, 33 pups were treated and released, including 5 

 in 1991. As of the end of the 1991 field season, 25 

 of the 33 head start animals released on Kure Atoll 

 were known to be alive. 



To supplement these efforts, emaciated female pups 

 unlikely to survive on their own have been taken from 

 French Frigate Shoals for rehabilitation since 1984. 

 These animals are moved to facilities In Honolulu, 

 hand-reared, and later released at Kure. As of the 

 end of 1990, 14 rehabilitated pups had been released 

 at Kure. In addition five healthy pups were taken 



from French Frigate Shoals and released on Kure In 

 1990. In 1991, six additional animals were rehabili- 

 tated and released. Fourteen of the 20 animals 

 rehabilitated and released at Kure were known to be 

 alive as of the end of the 1991 field season. 



In recent years, the Coast Guard has helped rebuild 

 the Kure Atoll seal colony by reducing human distur- 

 bance of pupping beaches. This has been done by 

 placing some, though not all, beach areas off-limits to 

 its station personnel. During 1991, the Coast Guard 

 announced its Intent to close the Kure Atoll LORAN 

 station by July 1992. At that time, the Island will be 

 returned to the State of Hawaii, and disturbance 

 should be effectively eliminated. During 1991, the 

 Coast Guard began consultations with the State and 

 the National Marine Fisheries Service on steps that 

 would be taken to close the station. 



Seals released from the head start and pup rehabili- 

 tation programs now constitute a majority of the 

 females giving birth on Kure Atoll, and beach counts 

 on the atoll have Increased significantly since 1981. 

 In light of the Coast Guard's plans and the past 

 success of efforts to reverse the decline in the Kure 

 Atoll seal colony, the Service plans to shift efforts in 

 1992 to Midway, the atoll Immediately east of Kure. 



The seal colony at Midway has declined to only a 

 few individuals, and in 1991 only two births were 

 reported. A study to test for ciguatera, a naturally 

 occurring blotoxin that may accumulate in monk seal 

 prey, will be done at Midway early In 1992. If the 

 results indicate that levels of the toxin pose no threat 

 to monk seals, rehabilitated pups from French Frigate 

 Shoals will be released at Midway later in 1992. 

 Head start efforts will not be undertaken at Midway 

 unless it is determined that pup survival rates are low. 

 Efforts at Kure in 1992 will be limited to monitoring 

 the colony to determine if further efforts to rebuild the 

 population are necessary. 



Interactions with Marine Debris 



Hawaiian monk seals, particularly pups, can be 

 attracted to derelict fishing nets and other marine 

 debris. Once attracted to such material, they may 

 become entangled, possibly leading to Injury or death 



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