Tag: Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

NOAA PIFSC, 4 August 2010

The NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette is at sea for 19 days on a scientific expedition to support Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) staff studying monk seals in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI).

Work on the highly endangered Hawaiian monk seal is being carried out by the Monk Seal Research Program, the PIFSC group responsible for monitoring the status of the seal population, conducting research to better understand factors affecting abundance of the seals, and finding ways to enhance the population’s recovery. Essential to the research program are field camps at the six major monk seal breeding locations in the NWHI. The camps are occupied by researchers during the summer as bases of operations for seal monitoring and other scientific work. During its current expedition, the Sette will pick up scientists and their equipment from field camps at French Frigate Shoals, Lisianski Island, Pearl and Hermes Reef, and Kure Atoll where seasonal studies have been completed. The vessel’s crew will also exchange personnel and resupply an existing camp at Laysan Island, resupply a camp at Kure that will re-commence operations in September, and conduct surveys of seals at Mokumanamana, Nihoa Island, and Kaula Rock.

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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.

Continue reading “Hawaiian monk seal assessment underway in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands”

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.
Continue reading “NMFS Commercial Shark Cull Hawaii”

NOAA PIFSC, 14 May 2010

The NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette is on a 23-day research expedition in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) to study two highly valued components of Hawaii’s marine ecosystem, the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and the threatened green turtle. The information gained will support NOAA’s efforts to recover populations of these protected species.

Monk seal research is a primary focus of scientists at NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. Staff of the Center’s Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) annually monitor the status of monk seals at remote locations in the NWHI, conduct research to better understand factors affecting abundance of the seals, and find ways to enhance population recovery. For several months each year, MMRP staff work out of seasonal field camps at the five major monk seal breeding locations in the NWHI. During its current voyage, the Sette will deploy researchers and their equipment at five sites where seasonal camps will be set up: French Frigate Shoals, Laysan Island, Lisianski Island, Pearl and Hermes Reef, and Kure Atoll. The ship will also support seal censuses at 2 other sites, Nihoa Island and Necker Island. No camps will be established at these locations; instead, the Sette will deploy scientists in small boats to conduct work ashore.

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