Media Watch, Honolulu Star Advertiser, 18 January 2011
Medical waste and other trash continued to soil Leeward Coast beaches yesterday, washing ashore in spots farther down the shore from where the debris was initially found. […]
Barbara Billand, a volunteer with the Hawaiian Monk Seal Response Team, said her group found a vial of blood, more than a dozen syringes and a bag of plastic medical tubing over the past two days while scouring White Plains, Nimitz and Maipalaoa beaches. The group began its cleanup out of concern over a monk seal in the area that was last seen Saturday at White Plains.
“We are concerned not just for people, but for the monk seals,” Billand said.
The Department of Health issued a statement Sunday saying Waste Management had provided documentation showing the medical waste had been sterilized and was not considered infectious, although the public still was at risk of puncture wounds. […]
Full Story: Honolulu Star Advertiser
On the beaches of the Hawaiian islands, monk seals are dying from a pathogen in cat feces that is carried to the ocean in polluted runoff and sewage. Experts worry that the disease, toxoplasmosis, will derail efforts to restore the endangered species. With only about 1,100 Hawaiian monk seals left in the wild, the deaths are “very concerning and put toxo as one of our primary concerns” for the species, says NOAA scientist Charles Littnan. Throughout most of Hawai`i, surface water quality ranges from “slightly impaired to severely impaired,” according to a state assessment. In particular, runoff from densely populated watersheds on Maui and O`ahu likely contains pathogens that infect the seals. […]
This announces the availability of a toll-free phone number where you can leave your scoping comments regarding the PEIS for monk seal recovery actions for the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) consideration.
With a dwindling Hawaiian monk seal population, federal officials are proposing a new plan to improve the survival of the endangered species. However, some Molokai fishermen say they are worried the plan could come at their expense.