Hawaiian Monk Seal
- hfondaw
- Dec 3, 2023
- 4 min read
Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus Schauinslandi) in the Neomonachus Genus and Phocidae Family. Are classified as Mammalia in the Animalia Kingdom, which is the same as us humans. They are usually solitary animals and will only occasionally lay on the beach together, but rarely touching.
They are black furred as pups but once they are weaned and adults they molt into dark gray-brawn on their backs and light gray-yellowish brown on their bellies. Once in a while the seals will molt their fur and skin. You can tell when a seal will molt soon since algae will grow on their fur.
They are located in the Pacific islands and there are currently 400 seals in the main Hawaiian islands and around 1,200 in the northwestern islands. They do not migrate anywhere but they do like to frequent the same beaches that they used in the past. They use these beaches to sleep, molt, and raise their young.
They are currently listed and protected under the endangered species act, the marine mammal protection act, and under Hawaiian law. They have been listed as such since 1976.
In the past the species was under threat mainly from high juvenile mortality rate, due to starvation but those numbers have recently increased. However, the species is still considered critically endangered as well as one of the most endangered seal populations in the world.
Threats to the population are: food scarcity, predators mainly by sharks, entanglement, male aggression, disease, habitat loss, and humans killing them. Global warming is causing food scarcity for the population,but the biggest impact it’s had is the loss of their beaches. Mainly for the ones they like to raise their young in. This in turn has made it easier for some sharks to prey on young seal pups and juveniles because they no longer have secure beaches to grow up in. We have also seen high levels of aggression in some populations regarding males attacking, and fatally wounding, females and their young. Though these attacks are not happening everywhere, it is still concerning. Seals are also getting entangled in marine debris and derelict fishing gear. This is mainly seen with pups and juveniles. There are also fears of disease being spread from humans and their animals onto the native seal population. Thankfully that has not happened yet, but it is unfortunately a very real possibility.
The current recovery plan for this species involves being able to change the listing from endangered to threatened. They plan on doing this by: preventing entanglement of seals; stopping aggression from the males; investigate and mitigate food limitations; reduce seal interactions with humans; prevent or reduce casualties by sharks; prevent disease spreading and coming into contact with new diseases; and conservation of seal habitat.
They plan on doing all this in a variety of ways. For food limitations they rehabilitate and relocate the seals to areas with better forging grounds. Since aggressive males aren’t widespread they usually either relocate the females and pups away from the aggressive male or terminate the male. Seals are also getting yearly vacations to help prevent diseases and to help them survive them. For the shark problem they do one of two things: one is kill a small amount of sharks or relocate females and their pups to less shark infested waters. For entanglement they plan on helping detangle any seals caught in nets or lines and they want to remove as much debris from the ocean area as they can. With humans they plan on focusing on spreading awareness. They also plan on pin-pointing where critical beach or pupping sites are and monitoring them, as well as advising the land owners on what to do to insure the population doesn’t get harmed.
But what can you do? You can volunteer at the Pacific Islands Marine Mammal Response Network. This volunteer work involves: finding seals that are resting and use it as an educational tool for others; monitoring seal pupping and molting times; reporting when a seal is in distress; providing the NOAA data on observed seal populations; visiting places and people to educate and inform and educate. If you don’t want to volunteer then you can also just spread the word on social media as well as to your friend groups and family.
Other resources you can look into are:
National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Recovery Plan For The Hawaiian Monk Seal, 2007, ecos.fws.gov: https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/hawaiianmonkseal.pdf
NOAA fisheries, Pacific Islands Marine Mammal Response, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | U.S. Department Of Commerce: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/marine-life-distress/pacific-islands-marine-mammal-response
Lloyd F. Lowry, David W. Laist, William G. Gilmartin, and George A. Antonelis; Recovery of the Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi): A Review of Conservation Efforts, 1972 to 2010, and Thoughts for the Future; Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Review, 2011: https://www.mmc.gov/wp-content/uploads/Recovery_Hawaiian_monkseal_2011.pdf
Sources:
NOAA Fisheries, Monk Seal: Conservation & Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | U.S. Department Of Commerce, 2023: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/hawaiian-monk-seal/conservation-management
The National Wildlife Federation, Hawaiian Monk Seal: https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Hawaiian-Monk-Seal
Marine Mammal Commission, Hawaiian Monk Seal: https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/species-of-concern/hawaiian-monk-seal/
NOAA Fisheries, Historical Timeline, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | U.S. Department Of Commerce: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/endangered-species-conservation/hawaiian-monk-seal-historical-timeline#:~:text=Seal%20hunting%20expeditions%20during%20the,extinction%20across%20the%20Hawaiian%20islands.
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