MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION — Annual Report for 1992 
on part of the seawall were undertaken in 1991. In 
addition, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Corps 
signed an agreement late in 1990 for an engineering 
study to identify construction alternatives for restoring 
the seawall and rehabilitating the dock facilities. 
Unfortunately, the engineering study due in 1991 has 
yet to be completed and, therefore, the preferred 
engineering approach has not yet been selected. Since 
this has not happened, work has not gone forward on 
the design phase, during which detailed construction 
plans and specifications would be prepared prior to 
the actual construction. In short, nothing constructive 
appears to have been accomplished to address the 
critical issue of the deterioration of Tern Island. 
Based upon the 1990 agreement, it was entirely 
reasonable to have expected actual construction to 
have started in 1994. It now appears that 1995 is the 
earliest possible date that construction could begin. 
During the Commission’s 1991 program review, 
representatives of concerned agencies formed a 
working group to coordinate activities related to island 
cleanup and seawall repair. In its 20 December 1991 
follow-up letter to the National Marine Fisheries 
Service, the Commission recommended that the 
Service provide assistance as needed to continue the 
coordination meetings among the agencies and to 
proceed with efforts to restore Tern Island. The 
Service’s 11 March 1992 reply noted that it had 
continued to participate in informal working group 
Meetings and that cooperative efforts to prepare 
necessary planning documents were proceeding. 
As of the end of 1992, the Corps expected to 
provide its study of repair alternatives to the Service 
early in 1993. Funding necessary to proceed with the 
design phase had not yet been secured. 
Entanglement in Marine Debris 
Hawaiian monk seals, particularly pups, are 
attracted to derelict fishing nets and other marine 
debris that drift onto the islands and reefs of the 
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Once attracted to 
such material, animals may become entangled, leading 
to injury or death. Since 1985 four animals are 
known to have died in debris and others have been 
34 
found so badly entangled that they likely would have 
died had researchers not freed them. 
In 1992 observed entanglement incidents (13 
animals) increased to levels approaching the highest 
recorded since data collection began in 1982. Al- 
though most animals were able to free themselves and 
no deaths were attributed to debris in 1992, research- 
ers took steps to free 12 animals. As in past years 
most observed entanglements were on Lisianski Island 
(eight in 1992). To reduce the risk of entanglement, 
researchers routinely gather and destroy potentially 
hazardous debris found on the islands. As noted in 
Chapter VII, funding for efforts to free entangled 
animals and to destroy hazardous materials is provided 
by the Service’s Marine Entanglement Research 
Program. 
Recovery Team Activities 
The Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team was first 
constituted and convened by the Service in 1980. 
From 1984 to 1989, however, the Service did not 
convene any meetings. At the recommendation of the 
Commission, the Service reestablished the team late in 
1989. Since then, the Service has supported annual 
meetings each winter to help assess plans for the 
coming field season. 
Based on its review of program activities in No- 
vember 1991, the Marine Mammal Commission con- 
cluded that the nine-member team would be strength- 
ened if it were expanded to include a representative of 
the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Hawaiian Islands 
National Wildlife Refuge as well as additional exper- 
tise in the fields of behavior (to help address questions 
regarding mobbing behavior) and physical oceanogra- 
phy (to help assess possible regional changes in 
environmental conditions). Recommendations to add 
appropriate individuals in this regard were included in 
the Commission’s 20 December 1991 letter to the 
Service. 
During its meeting in January 1992, the Recovery 
Team considered the Commission’s recommendations 
and concluded that its current membership and size 
were optimal. The Service’s 11 March 1992 response 
to the Commission echoed the team’s view regarding 
