Chapter II — Species of Special Concern 



Figure 5. Adult male Hawaiian monk seal found entangled in derelict trawl net on Laysan Island, 23 July 

 1998. Service personnel removed the netting and the seal was released with no apparent 

 injuries. (Photograph courtesy of Dorothy Dick) 



strewn across the reef by storms. The derelict line 

 and other debris could pose a direct entanglement risk 

 for monk seals as well as other species, such as sea 

 turtles. No funds remain from the vessel's insurance 

 policy to pay for a salvage operation. The Service 

 has asked the Navy for help in removing the vessel 

 from the reef but, to date, the Navy has not been able 

 to comply. The removal of the wreck and its associ- 

 ated debris is an urgent matter. The Marine Mammal 

 Commission therefore recommended in its letter of 31 

 December 1998 to the National Marine Fisheries Ser- 

 vice that it continue its efforts to consult with the 

 Navy and other appropriate state and federal agencies 

 to secure assistance to remove the wreck and associat- 

 ed debris from the reef as soon as possible. 



Captive Seals at Kewalo Basin 



As noted above and in previous annual reports, 12 

 underweight female pups were removed from French 

 Frigate Shoals in 1995 and taken to facilities on Oahu 

 for rehabilitation prior to release at Midway or Kure 

 Atoll. However, shortly after arriving at Oahu, most 

 of the seals developed an eye problem never before 

 encountered. Plans for their release were suspended, 

 and the monk seals remained in captivity pending 

 efforts to identify the cause of the eye problem. Two 

 of the original 12 animals died in 1997 of unrelated 

 causes. The cause of the eye problem has not been 

 determined but the clinical result has been corneal 

 opacities limiting vision in one seal and causing total 

 blindness in eight animals. The tenth is unaffected. 



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