MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION - Annual Report for 1995 



importance of positive action and the value of adding 

 even a few breeding animals to small colonies, the 

 panel agreed that further rehabilitation and release 

 work was warranted. It recommended, however, that 

 the Service develop a more complete set of criteria to 

 guide decisions on when and how to take and release 

 animals, and how long such efforts should be contin- 

 ued. It also recommended that the Service explore the 

 willingness of Sea Life Park to expand its seal holding 

 facilities, the feasibility of expanding the Kewalo 

 Basin facility to meet needs that cannot be met at Sea 

 Life Park, and contracting for a full-time veterinarian. 



The Commission agreed with the panel's recom- 

 mendations and, in its 4 August letter to the Service, 

 it highlighted the need for developing criteria to guide 

 rehabilitation/release work and for acquiring the 

 services of a full-time veterinarian. 



Restoring Monk Seals to the Midway Islands — 



During World War II the Navy established a naval air 

 station on Midway. The number of seals using 

 Midway prior to that time is unknown, but in 1957 

 and 1958 when the first seal counts were made at the 

 atoll, up to 68 animals were counted on its beaches, 

 with mean counts of over 50 seals. Late in the 1950s 

 the Navy mounted a major construction effort to 

 expand air station operations. When the next count 

 was made at Midway late in the 1960s, no seals were 

 seen. Between then and the early 1990s, average 

 beach counts ranged from to 10 animals. In the last 

 two years, more intensive studies produced average 

 beach counts of 12 and 16 seals, in 1994 and 1995, 

 respectively, with a total of 29 animals identified in 

 1994, and 41 animals identified in 1995. Most 

 animals appear to be transient visitors from Kure and 

 Pearl and Hermes Reef. 



During the program review, attention focused on 

 ways to restore Midway's monk seal colony, future 

 ownership and use of the atoll, and wildlife habitat 

 restoration. Navy officials provided a thorough 

 briefing on its plans to close the air station and 

 transfer Midway to a new owner by June 1997. They 

 described substantial progress and consultation with 

 other Federal and state agencies to assess contami- 

 nants on the island, and expressed a strong commit- 

 ment to completing as much clean-up work as possible 

 prior to the 1997 transfer. In addition to contaminant 



clean-up, wildlife hazards, such as debris and rusting 

 bulkheads, also are being identified and many situa- 

 tions have already been corrected. Representatives of 

 the Navy and the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 also noted plans to cooperate on a proposal to fund 

 research and mitigation efforts in 1996 to speed 

 recovery of monk seals at Midway. 



Coast Guard officials advised the panel of steps to 

 assess and clean up contaminants from discarded 

 batteries in Midway's lagoon. The batteries, used to 

 power lights on navigation aids marking the atoll's 

 harbor channel, were discarded in past decades during 

 routine maintenance. It was noted that the Coast 

 Guard, in consultation with the National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration and the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service, had scheduled work in the summer to assess 

 contamination around the discarded batteries to help 

 identify clean-up needs. 



The Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages 

 wildlife resources on Midway as an overlay national 

 wildlife refuge under a 1988 agreement with the 

 Navy, has requested title to Midway for use as a 

 national wildlife refuge. Service officials advised the 

 panel that they are working closely with the Navy to 

 assume ownership of the islands. Under Congressio- 

 nal directives for base closures, accommodation of 

 other uses of the islands, such as maintaining and 

 using the island's airfield to refuel Coast Guard 

 aircraft and providing controlled public access for 

 wildlife viewing, also is being considered. As noted 

 above, however, Congressional action could supersede 

 these transfer plans. 



The panel strongly endorsed the transfer of Mid- 

 way to the Fish and Wildlife Service for use as a 

 national wildlife refuge and recommended that the 

 Commission and others ensure that Congressional and 

 State officials are aware of the importance of Mid- 

 way's habitat for monk seals and seabirds. To speed 

 recovery of its seal colony, the panel recommended 

 that the National Marine Fisheries Service and the 

 Navy design and implement a research and manage- 

 ment plan for moving seals to Midway and ensuring 

 their survival. The panel also was impressed by the 

 Navy's contaminant assessment program at Midway 

 and the Coast Guard's commitment to assess contami- 

 nation by corroded batteries in Midway's lagoon. 



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