Fisheries Service an opportunity to review and comment on 
the report concerning options for the future use of the 
abandoned Coast Guard Station on Tern Island. The letter 
also asked the Service to advise the Commission as to: the 
nature and extent of monk seal research being conducted or 
planned by the Service and how it might be coordinated with 
other research being conducted or planned by the Commission 
and/or the National Marine Fisheries Service; the nature and 
extent of other research on the Hawaiian Islands National 
Wildlife Refuge which might affect monk seals or other 
endangered species; and the status of any on-going or planned 
Endangered Species Act consultations with the National 
Marine Fisheries Service. 
On 12 March 1980, the Commission received the National 
Marine Fisheries Service's 7 March response to its letter of 
27 December 1979. The response provided useful comments on 
the Commission's draft research and studies plan, as well as 
other requested information, and noted, among other things, 
that: the leader of the Monk Seal Recovery Team had been 
selected; the first meeting of the recovery team would be 
held sometime during the period from mid- to late-March 
1980; and prior to the meeting, a workshop would be held to 
facilitate development of a plan for responding in the event 
of another monk seal "die-off" such as occurred on Laysan 
Island in 1978. On 13 March, the Commission and the National 
Marine Fisheries Service signed the inter-agency agreement 
which the Commission had forwarded to the Service on 3 
March, thereby implementing the transfer of funds necessary 
to continue the Laysan Island monk seal study (see Chapter 
100) 6 
On 18 March, Commission and National Marine Fisheries 
Service representatives met to review efforts to implement 
research and management actions.*/ During the meeting, 
Commission representatives expressed continuing uncertainty 
about the precise nature of the ciguatoxin and other monk 
seal studies either underway or planned by the Service, the 
resources allocated by the Service for monk seal-related 
activities in FY 80, and the possible need for Commission 
support of either the workshop to develop a "die-off" response 
plan or other needed studies. The Service noted that it had 
reprogrammed FY 80 funds to cover certain expenses including 
recovery team support and vessel charters for field scientists 
working on Laysan and other islands. It was also agreed 
*/ A Fish and Wildlife Service representative was invited 
to attend this meeting, but was unable to do so. 
Sac Ss 
