the State of Florida, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural 
Resources and others on 20-21 October. By early 1981, the 
Service expects to have completed final appendices which set 
forth specific tasks to be conducted, those responsible for 
doing them, the costs involved, and the time-frame within 
which each task is to be done. 
In 1980, increased levels of cooperation and communication 
as well as intensified commitments to meet problems became 
apparent throughout governmental and non-governmental 
organizations. Improved law enforcement, the creation of 
specially protected areas, better public information and 
education programs, strengthened research and study programs, 
and a generally heightened awareness of the problems and 
issues are all in evidence. 
Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi) 
The Hawaiian monk seal inhabits a limited area on and 
around the coral atolls and islets of the Leeward Hawaiian 
Islands. Surveys conducted since the late 1950's indicate 
that there has been a substantial decrease in the population. 
Fewer than 700 seals were counted in 1977, while 1,200 were 
seen in 1958. Furthermore, in 1978, 50-60 seals died on or 
near Laysan Island, perhaps as a result of ciguatoxin poisoning. 
Threats to the species include: disturbance and harassment 
by persons living on or visiting the islands; commercial 
fishing in adjacent reef and open ocean areas; disease; 
natural and man-made toxic substances; and shark predation. 
The National Marine Fisheries Service has lead-agency 
responsibility for protecting the monk seal and its habitat. 
This responsibility is shared to some extent with the Fish 
and Wildlife Service as well, since a portion of the species' 
range occurs in the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife 
Refuge. 
In recent years, the Commission has recommended a 
number of actions, including the designation of critical 
habitat and the constitution of a Monk Seal Recovery Team, 
to encourage the development of an effective research and 
Management program which would facilitate protection and 
encourage the recovery of the species (see previous Annual 
Reports). In Appropriations Hearings on the FY 1980 budget, 
Congress took note of the slow response to Commission recommendation 
and, late in the summer of 1979, appropriated $100,000 to 
the Commission to undertake necessary work on monk seals. 
Immediately thereafter, the Commission organized and convened 
a meeting of monk seal experts, including scientists from 
the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and 
i So 
