that the Service would provide additional information about 
on-going and planned research and advise the Commission as 
to whether its support would be needed for the workshop to 
develop a "die-off" response plan. 
On 27 March, the Service wrote the Commission that such 
support was needed, and on 28 March, the Commission developed 
and forwarded a scope of work and inter-agency agreement 
transferring $3,000 to the Service for the workshop. At 
about the same time, the Commission also contracted for the 
radio transmitters for the pilot radio-tracking/dive-profile 
study, and thereby helped get this important work started 
(see Chapter II). 
The Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team used its first 
meeting on 26-27 April 1980 for organizational purposes and 
to review the Commission's research and studies plan. On 16 
May, the results of the meeting were sent to the Commission 
and subsequently discussed during a 23 May meeting between 
Commission and Service representatives. Among other things, 
the Commission was advised that: the Recovery Team expected 
to complete a draft recovery plan by June 1981; the Recovery 
Team, with support from the National Marine Fisheries Service, 
would undertake several tasks identified in the Commission's 
research and studies plan; and the Recovery Team was of the 
opinion that analysis of existing data from the in-depth 
study of monk seals on Laysan Island should be afforded 
higher priority than certain other tasks identified in the 
Commission's research and studies plan. 
On 10 June 1980, the Fish and Wildlife Service answered 
the Commission's 27 December letter. The Service concurred 
with the plan's objectives, recommended that the Commission 
consider allocating funds to support additional analysis of 
data from the Laysan Island study, provided a list of on- 
going and planned studies in the Hawaiian Islands National 
Wildlife Refuge, described efforts to coordinate studies and 
consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service to ensure 
that the studies would not adversely affect monk seals or 
other endangered species, and reviewed the situation with 
respect to the abandoned Coast Guard station on Tern Island. 
On 19 June 1980, Commission and National Marine Fisheries 
representatives met to review progress and identify additional 
actions that might be taken in 1980 to speed developing and 
implementing an effective monk seal recovery plan. During 
the meeting, it was noted that: the Service was proceeding 
