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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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Endangered Hawaiian monk seal given stronger protection under new Hawaii law

Press Watch, Hawai’i Magazine.com, 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. […]

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Just published: Monachus Guardian June 2010

Just published: the June 2010 issue of The Monachus Guardian, the biannual journal focusing on the Mediterranean, Hawaiian and Caribbean monk seals.

This issue of The Monachus Guardian brings a special focus to the Mediterranean monk seals shot and dynamited in the Eastern Mediterranean since January. What is actually being done to eliminate the single most serious mortality threat confronting the species?

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CURRENT ISSUE:

Editorial: An epidemic of killings.

Hawaiian News: Seal numbers continue to dive…

Mediterranean News: Greece: Alarming numbers of dead seals… Mauritania: Record births at Cabo Blanco… Turkey: Monk seal deaths in the Turkish Aegean… New population size assessment study in the NE Mediterranean…

Cover Story: Markos’ Case: Trauma, treatment, and reflections, by Emily Joseph.

In Focus I: Monk seal killed by dynamite blast in the Aegean, by Anastasia Miliou.

In Focus II: Nefeli’s rehabilitation: methods, results, and challenges, by Emily Joseph.

Perspectives: The world’s two remaining monk seal species: how many different ways are there of being Critically Endangered? by Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara.

Research: Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus, re-sighted along the Israeli coastline after more than half a century, by Aviad Scheinin, Oz Goffman, Mia Elasar and Dani Kerem…

Recent Publications.

The current and back issues of The Monachus Guardian are also available from the Monk Seal Library <http://www.monachus-guardian.org/library.htm>.

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NMFS Commercial Shark Cull Hawaii

Web Watch, Shark Diver, 16 May 2010

Ocean Associates Inc. is seeking two candidates who will provide professional support services to the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center to conduct fieldwork in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.

This year NMFS will be undertaking efforts to remove predatory Galapagos sharks at Hawaiian monk seal pupping sites at French Frigate Shoals. Assistants will capture sharks using a variety of techniques, mitigate monk seal mortality, collect biological samples and produce written documents in support of monk seal research efforts.
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