Category: Hawaiian Monk Seal

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Pushing for the protections monk seals (and humans) need

Marti Townsend, KAHEA, 30 July 2010

Like a glove across the face, KAHEA and the Center for Biological Diversity sent a Notice of Intent to Sue yesterday warning federal regulators to expedite the critical habitat designation for Hawaiian monk seals… or else.  Critical habitat is the backbone of the Endangered Species Act.  It is the mechanism for shepherding species back from the verge of extinction. Over two years ago, we petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to expand the critical habitat designation for the highly endangered Hawaiian monk seal.  And NMFS agreed the seal needed more habitat to thrive. Yet, more than a year since they agreed with us, NMFS is not any closer to protecting vitally important nearshore areas and deepwater foraging grounds for the seal.

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Pit Bull attacks Big Island monk seal

Media Watch, The National Parks of the Pacific Islands, July 31, 2010

The following report was received from the Hilo Marine Mammal Response Network:

Unfortunately, a monk seal was attacked by a Pit Bull earlier today (Friday, July 30) in the Kau region. Reports from the NOAA law enforcement agency say the attack lasted for about a minute until the seal retreated into the ocean. The extent of injury is unknown, and very little information is currently known about this matter. If you have any information (location attack may have taken place, name of dog owner, recent seal sightings, etc.) please contact our monk seal line at  808-756-5961, or email hmmrn@hawaii.edu .

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Kau, Hilo, Hawaii
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Dead monk seal pup found on Ni‘ihau

Media Watch, The Garden Island, 27 July 2010

LIHU‘E — Federal authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of death of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal pup found over the weekend on Ni‘ihau.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Services reached out Monday to Bruce Robinson — one of the family members who owns the island — to retrieve the carcass so that a necropsy might be done.

By the time Ni‘ihau men reached the pup all that was left was the skull and skeleton, so NOAA was no longer interested in the retrieval, according to Wende Goo, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service spokesperson.

The Ni‘ihau men reported finding something else near the dead pup — fresh footprints leading right up to the animal from the beach, according to Bruce Robinson’s brother, Keith Robinson.

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Hawaiian monk seal assessment underway in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

NOAA PIFSC, Quarterly Research Bulletin, June 2010

With the help of the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette, summer field camps for the annual assessment of Hawaiian monk seals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) were recently deployed by PIFSC at all major NWHI monk seal breeding locations.

Field camp operations at most locations got a fresh start, but at Laysan Island, operations are simply continuing research that has been carried out there since last summer. Over the past winter, staff of the PIFSC Protected Species Division (PSD) operated a camp at Laysan Island for the first time to collect data on survival of juvenile seals during the winter and investigate whether de-worming of juvenile seals will increase their survival rate. The winter camp was set up in August 2009 and resupplied in December 2009 and March 2010. During their winter stay, scientists at the Laysan camp monitored the population and collected data on monk seal reproduction, reporting the birth of 21 pups.

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Harming monk seals now a felony under Hawaii law

Media Watch, Hawaii News Now, 10 June 2010
Lt. Governor James "Duke" Aiona

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii has toughened penalties against people who harm endangered species, in particular against those who would harm the critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal. Lt. Governor James “Duke” Aiona signed Senate Bill 2441 into law Tuesday morning at the State Capitol. The law takes effect immediately.

“It was a community effort […] many, many other people stepped forward and said enough is enough. We need to make this a real crime. Hopefully other people will think twice about hurting and harming monk seals,” state Senator Gary Hooser said.

The new law adds additional punishment beyond the federal Endangered Species Act, imposing a fine of up to $50,000 and five years in prison on anyone who harms a monk seal. It also makes it a felony under Hawaii law to harass, harm or kill any endangered or threatened species. […]

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Endangered Hawaiian monk seal given stronger protection under new Hawaii law

Media Watch, Derek Paiva, Hawaii Magazine, 9 June 2010

A bill seeking tougher penalties for anyone caught intentionally harming the Hawaiian monk seal, or other endangered Hawaii species, became state law this week.

Hawaii Lt. Gov. James “Duke” Aiona signed Senate Bill 2441 into law, making the intentional harassing, harming or killing of a monk seal—or any endangered or threatened Hawaii species—a class C felony. The new Hawaii law extends punishment already imposed by violations of the federal Endangered Species Act, to include a fine of up to $50,000 and five years in prison.[…]

Though the new law covers all Hawaii animals protected by the Endangered Species Act, stronger protection of the endemic Hawaiian monk seal was the primary goal of lawmakers who drafted the bill.

Last year, a Kauai resident intentionally shot and killed a pregnant monk seal that was sunning on a beach where he wanted to go fishing. Though the maximum penalty under the Federal Endangered Species Act law specifies fines of up to $50,000 and a year in prison, the man—who pled guilty—was sentenced to 90 days in federal lock-up and a $25 fine.

An autopsy of an adult monk seal found dead in the offshore waters of Molokai by a fisherman last December also determined that the animal had been intentionally killed. The death is still under investigation. […]

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