team and equipment to the scene of the die-off. Therefore, 
a contingency plan is needed to be better prepared to act 
promptly and efficiently in the event of another die-off. 
To facilitate the development of a contingency plan, the 
Commission transferred funds to the Service for a workshop 
to: identify and provide the rationale for field and/or 
laboratory studies needed to determine the cause or causes 
and as possible to mitigate the effects of other monk seal 
"die-offs" should they occur; identify the permits, equipment, 
supplies, personnel, facilities, and logistic support that 
would be required to conduct the studies; and estimate the 
costs of conducting such studies. The workshop, organized 
by the leader of the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team, was 
held at the Service's Southwest Fisheries Center in April 
1980. A workshop report has been drafted and is being used 
by the Service, in consultation with the Commission, to 
develop a die-off response plan. 
Review of Available Information Concerning the Possible 
Effects of a Shark Control Program on Shark Populations and 
Other Components of Marine Communities in the Vicinity of 
the Northwest Hawaiian Islands 
(Ocean Research Consulting and Analysis Limited, Honolulu, 
Hawaii) 
It has been hypothesized that the observed decline of 
monk seals on Kure Atoll may be caused by sharks preying 
upon newly weaned pups and that a shark control program in 
the vicinity of Kure Island and perhaps elsewhere in the 
Northwest Hawaiian Islands might facilitate the recovery of 
the Hawaiian monk seal. However, it is not known whether 
predation is a cause of significant monk seal mortality or 
how a shark control program might affect the shark populations 
or other components of the marine communities of which they 
are a part. This study was undertaken to compile and 
summarize available information on: the structure and dynamics 
of shark populations and the marine communities of which 
they are a part; and the effects and effectiveness of shark 
control programs and shark fisheries in Australia, South 
Africa, Hawaii, and elsewhere. A preliminary report was 
provided to the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team in September 
1980 and is being used to help assess the possible costs and 
benefits of reducing shark populations to facilitate recovery 
of the Hawaiian monk seal. The final report is expected to 
be completed in early 1981. 
