MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION - Annual Report for 1998 



antibodies to morbillivirus in three seals from French 

 Frigate Shoals, but not in seals at the other sites. 

 Although antibody levels were low, there is a possibil- 

 ity that seals at French Frigate Shoals have been 

 exposed to a morbillivirus while monk seals at other 

 sites have not. The proposed translocation could 

 therefore inadvertently introduce this virus to seals at 

 Midway and possibly precipitate a die-off. The 

 Service plans to retest samples and collect additional 

 samples from seals at French Frigate Shoals in early 

 1999 to verify results. 



Based on information provided at its annual meet- 

 ing and at the 1-3 December recovery team meeting, 

 the Commission wrote to the Service on 3 1 December 

 1998 recommending that the translocation of weaned 

 pups from French Frigate Shoals not proceed until 

 uncertainties regarding the risk of introducing morbil- 

 livirus or other significant disease agents have been 

 thoroughly reviewed by marine mammal veterinarians 

 and epidemiologists. If further consideration indicates 

 that it is not safe to translocate animals from French 

 Frigate Shoals to Midway Island, then the Commis- 

 sion recommended that funding currently allocated to 

 translocation work be redirected to a headstart pro- 

 gram at French Frigate Shoals. This would be similar 

 to previous Hawaiian monk seal headstart programs 

 where female weaned pups were kept in an enclosure 

 and fed during the critical period just after weaning. 



As a related matter, the Commission was con- 

 cerned that an outbreak of morbillivirus could occur 

 with devastating effect on the entire Hawaiian monk 

 seal population. The Commission therefore recom- 

 mended in its 31 December letter that the Service 

 assess the effectiveness and feasibility of carrying out 

 a program to inoculate Hawaiian monk seals with a 

 vaccine against morbillivirus. If such a program is 

 determined to be potentially beneficial and feasible, 

 the Commission recommended that the Service give 

 serious consideration to developing a plan for imple- 

 menting a vaccination program. 



Marine Debris 



Marine debris, particularly derelict fishing nets, 

 poses a serious risk of injury and death to Hawaiian 

 monk seals. The inquisitive nature of seals, particu- 

 larly pups and juveniles, tends to make them attracted 



to debris. Subsequent interactions can lead to entan- 

 glement and, unless they are able to free themselves 

 quickly, entangled seals risk drowning or death 

 through injuries caused by the entangling gear. 

 During the 1998 field season, 18 seals were found 

 entangled in debris. Of these, 5 were able to disen- 

 tangle themselves, 12 were disentangled by field 

 crews (Figure 5), and 1 was found dead in a net 

 caught on the reef at Laysan Island. 



For several years, the Service has partially ad- 

 dressed the issue by removing debris from seals and 

 beaches during field visits. Submerged debris, how- 

 ever, represents a greater threat because animals 

 caught may drown or be killed by sharks. Therefore, 

 in 1998 the National Marine Fisheries Service orga- 

 nized a multi-agency cleanup effort to remove derelict 

 fishing nets and other debris from the reefs surround- 

 ing French Frigate Shoals and Pearl and Hermes Reef. 

 An estimated 94 pieces of netting per square kilometer 

 occurs on the reef surrounding French Frigate Shoals, 

 and an estimated 64 pieces of netting per square 

 kilometer occurs on reefs around Pearl and Hermes 

 Reef The Service was able to remove only a small 

 proportion of this debris and estimates that 38,000 

 pieces of netting remain in the waters surrounding 

 each of these locations. Agencies involved in the 

 cleanup included the Coast Guard, the Navy, Hawaii 

 state government, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the 

 Center for Marine Conservation, the Hawai'i Wildlife 

 Fund, the city of Honolulu, the University of Hawaii 

 Sea Grant Program, the University of Alaska Marine 

 Advisory Program, and BFI Industries. Clean-up will 

 require a long-term commitment to remove the 

 substantial amounts of debris now present. The 

 Service is planning to continue this effort in 1999 at 

 a location yet to be determined. 



As a related matter, on 16 October 1998 the 

 lobster fishing boat Paradise Queen II ran aground on 

 reefs at Kure Atoll. Although more than 15,000 liters 

 (4,000 gallons) of fuel were spilled, it apparently 

 dissipated with no observed impact on monk seals. 

 However, as of December 1998 the vessel and about 

 3.2 km (2 miles) of line and 500 lobster traps re- 

 mained on the reef. Recognizing the danger posed by 

 the wreck, the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 explored a variety of options to remove the vessel and 

 its gear before the vessel breaks up and debris is 



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