Chapter III — Species of Special Concern 



ously done by volunteers so that all major breeding 

 colonies, plus Midway, could be monitored in 1995, 

 and (b) contract through a cooperative university 

 program for expert help for tasks that the program 

 had not been able to support in the past. Finally, 

 while it was noted that staff reductions affecting other 

 Service programs would not affect the monk seal 

 program, the panel was advised that the Service's 

 monk seal recovery team leader of 15 years was 

 retiring and that his position might not be retained. 



The panel concluded that the Service's plan for 

 funding and logistic support in 1995 was a sound 

 approach consistent with the agency's leadership role 

 in recovery work. It recommended that this level be 

 maintained for at least the next three years. It also 

 noted, however, that this level of support would still 

 not meet all critical needs; hence, other agencies and 

 organizations with shared obligations must be called 

 upon to supplement Service resources. The panel 

 therefore recommended that the Service increase its 

 efforts to encourage contributions of funding, exper- 

 tise, and in-kind aid from other agencies, universities, 

 laboratories, foundations, and environmental organiza- 

 tions. Noting that departure of the program's long- 

 time leader would significantly reduce staff expertise, 

 the panel also recommended that the Service promptly 

 fill this vacant position. 



The Commission concurred with the panel's 

 findings and, in a follow-up letter to the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service, it recommended that the 

 Service maintain its planned 1995 funding level over 

 the next three years and that, if it had not already 

 done so, the Service immediately begin a search for a 

 new recovery program leader. 



Population Monitoring — Population trends and 

 management needs differ at the various breeding sites. 

 Because of funding, logistic, and personnel constraints 

 for field work, however, up-to-date information to 

 analyze population trends and management needs for 

 most major colonies is lacking. To meet this need, 

 Service officials advised the panel that field camps 

 were planned for all major breeding sites plus Midway 

 in 1995. The panel agreed with these plans and 

 recommended that camps at all six sites also be 

 established in 1996. For subsequent years, the panel 

 recommended reviewing population monitoring results 



in light of other program needs to determine if some 

 sites could be monitored at less frequent intervals. 



Pup Rehabilitation and Release Program — In 



1984 the Service began removing underweight female 

 pups from French Frigate Shoals, rehabilitating them 

 at facilities on Oahu, and releasing them at Kure to 

 help increase that depleted colony. Between 1984 and 

 1991, 57 percent of the pups collected and released at 

 Kure had survived through the first year of release, 

 and the effort has helped increase the reproductive 

 potential of Kure's seal colony. 



Early in the 1990s pup survival at French Frigate 

 Shoals declined sharply, and in 1992 attempts were 

 made to rehabilitate more pups and some juveniles 

 and to shift releases from Kure to Midway. In 1992 

 and 1993, 18 seals were released at Midway. These 

 releases were not successful like those at Kure; all but 

 two seals died or disappeared. The reasons for the 

 poor suvival have been difficult to assess because 

 funds were not available to monitor the released 

 animals. However, most of the seals released were 

 juveniles rather than pups and, because of limited 

 space, funds, and personnel, the handling and release 

 procedures differed from previous efforts. Because 

 no animals resident at Midway were found dead 

 following the releases, environmental conditions at 

 Midway do not appear to be the cause. 



In 1994 the Commission recommended that the 

 Service expand its rehabilitation facilities, hire a 

 veterinarian to oversee rehabilitation work, and make 

 another attempt to release seals at Midway. During 

 the April 1995 program review, Service officials 

 described the various seal handling procedures used in 

 the Midway release effort and advised the panel of 

 plans to try another release of seals at Midway in 

 1996. To carry out the work, they planned to use 

 one-third of the program's 1995 funding to expand a 

 seal holding facility at Kewalo Basin, contract for full- 

 time veterinary services to help oversee management 

 of captive seals and undertake necessary monitoring 

 and research. 



The panel was concerned about the high cost of 

 rehabilitating seals, the adequacy of criteria to guide 

 this work, and the relatively few seals added to the 

 breeding population. However, recognizing the 



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