Plan to move monk seals on hold for several years

Question: Whatever happened to the National Marine Fisheries Service’s plan to move young Hawaiian monk seals to the main Hawaiian Islands from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands for a temporary stay as a way to boost survival rates?

Answer: In 2011, federal officials proposed the idea in an effort to help save the critically endangered species. But the translocation proposed under the Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program is likely on hold for at least several years as scientists and others endeavor to raise community awareness about challenges confronting the species, establish adequate infrastructure for the seals in the main Hawaiian Islands, and undergo a permit process.

"What we cannot do right now is bring animals from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to be released in the wild to the main Hawaiian Islands," said Charles Littnan, lead scientist for the research Program.

Littnan’s team may soon be able to conduct other types of translocations, such as moving seals within the boundaries of their home islands.

The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the rarest marine mammals in the world, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is one of two remaining monk seal species, the other being the Mediterranean monk seal. A third species, the Caribbean monk seal, is extinct.

Hunted to near-extinction in the late 19th century, the Hawaiian monk seal population is now estimated at 1,200. Most reside in the Papahanau­mokuakea Marine National Monument, where the population is declining at about 3 percent annually. The seals are also found around Hawaii’s main islands.

The research program’s plan calls for moving female juvenile seals for a two-year stay in the main islands, where survival rates are much higher. The seals would be returned to their home islands when they reach an age at which they’re more likely to survive in those waters.

Predators such as sharks, scarcity of food and aggressive males are often responsible for deaths among the young females. The translocation program would continue at least until the population in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands — estimated at 900 to 1,000 seals — shows signs of recovery.

The death rate for the young females is very high in several places in the Northwestern islands, Littnan said. "So it makes sense to move animals from a place where they’re going to die to a place where they’re going to survive."

A maximum of 20 seals would be brought here each year, he said.

Before any translocation begins, the program must secure a permit from NOAA to move the seals within their respective subpopulations. A decision on whether translocation will be allowed in home island areas could be issued by early July, Littnan said. If his team is given the go-ahead and later decides to pursue translocation to the main islands, another permit process would take place, during which communities would be encouraged to weigh in on the effort.

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This update was written by Noelle Fujii. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To …” by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.