Chapter III — Species of Special Concern 



under the Endangered Species Act on the effects of 

 human activities planned at Midway under the Ser- 

 vice's refuge management program. 



Throughout 1995 the Navy continued its efforts to 

 assess and clean up contaminants and wildlife hazards 

 on Midway. Planning for these activities was done in 

 close cooperation with other interested agencies and 

 included such actions, as removing debris and a badly 

 rusted seawall along atoll beaches important for the 

 reestablishment of a local seal colony. The Navy also 

 worked closely with the Fish and Wildlife Service on 

 transferring ownership of Midway. At the end of 

 1995 final action to transfer title to the Service had 

 not yet been taken; however, it was the Commission's 

 understanding that this was expected early in 1996. 



Finally, the Navy took several other steps to 

 restore a viable seal colony to the atoll. In coopera- 

 tion with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the 

 staff of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command of 

 the Pacific Division helped develop a $250,000 

 funding request to Navy's Legacy Program to initiate 

 efforts in 1996 to reintroduce rehabilitated monk seals 

 to Midway. Although the proposal was highly 

 ranked, at the end of 1995 it was the Commission's 

 understanding that the Department of Defense had 

 recinded Legacy Program funding for 1996, in effect 

 terminating the program. As a result, the Navy 

 expects to receive no funds for this program in the 

 coming year and to be unable to support the proposed 

 work despite its high ranking. In the absence of 

 funding from the Legacy Program, it was unclear 

 what steps could be taken to carry out the contemplat- 

 ed monk seal reintroduction work at Midway in 1996. 



Captive Maintenance 



In 1995, 12 underweight female monk seals were 

 taken into captivity from French Frigate Shoals for 

 rehabilitation and subsequent release. As indicated 

 above, it is hoped that these seals will be released at 

 Midway in 1996. Prospects for their release in 1996, 

 however, became uncertain when, between early 

 September and the end of 1995, nine of the 12 captive 

 animals developed glaucoma, corneal opacity, and 

 related eye problems. The disease process seems 

 unlike any previously identified in captive or wild 

 Hawaiian monk seals or other seal species. Its source 



has not been identified and, unless the cause can be 

 determined to be non-infectious and without risk to 

 wild animals, release of the seals will not be possible. 

 Other than the observed eye problems, the animals 

 have remained healthy. Some of the first animals 

 exhibiting eye symptoms have recovered. 



Late in August 1995 two male monk seals died 

 during the course of studies to test the effectiveness of 

 testosterone-suppressing drugs. The Commission 

 learned of the deaths late in September. Based on 

 documentation provided by the Service, the deaths 

 apparently were due to the procedures used to collect 

 sperm samples rather than the drugs being tested. 

 The procedures had been used successfully on other 

 seal species but not previously on monk seals. 



Steller Sea Lion 

 (Eumetopias jubatus) 



Steller sea lions (also called northern sea lions) are 

 one of the world's largest pinnipeds. Adult males 

 reach three meters in length and more than 900 kg in 

 weight. Preferring isolated, rocky shores to give 

 birth, breed, and molt, the species' range extends 

 around the northern rim of the North Pacific Ocean 

 from California to Russia, and in the Bering Sea north 

 to the Pribilof Islands. About three-fourths of all 

 Steller sea lions haul out along U.S. shorelines. In 

 the past Steller sea lions were taken by Alaska Natives 

 for fuel, clothing, food, and materials to make small 

 boats. However, with alternative materials available 

 for many of these uses, Steller sea lions are now taken 

 principally for food. 



Over the past 30 years Steller sea lions have 

 experienced one of the most extensive declines of any 

 marine mammal in U.S. waters. Numbers at some 

 major rookeries in the western Gulf of Alaska, the 

 eastern Aleutian Islands, and Russia have decreased 

 more than 90 percent, and some rookeries, including 

 the species' southernmost rookery at San Miguel 

 Island in southern California, have been abandoned 

 entirely over the past 20 years. Population estimates 

 for Steller sea lions in different parts of the species' 

 range are shown in Table 3. 



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