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The NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette<\/em> is at sea for 19 days on a scientific expedition to support Pacific \tIslands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) staff studying monk seals in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands \t(NWHI).<\/p>\nWork on the highly endangered Hawaiian monk seal is being carried out by the Monk Seal Research Program, the PIFSC \tgroup responsible for monitoring the status of the seal population, conducting research to better understand \tfactors affecting abundance of the seals, and finding ways to enhance the population’s recovery. Essential to the \tresearch program are field camps at the six major monk seal breeding locations in the NWHI. The camps are occupied \tby researchers during the summer as bases of operations for seal monitoring and other scientific work. During its \tcurrent expedition, the Sette<\/em> will pick up scientists and their equipment from field camps at French \tFrigate Shoals, Lisianski Island, Pearl and Hermes Reef, and Kure Atoll where seasonal studies have been completed. \tThe vessel’s crew will also exchange personnel and resupply an existing camp at Laysan Island, resupply a camp at \tKure that will re-commence operations in September, and conduct surveys of seals at Mokumanamana, Nihoa Island, and \tKaula Rock.<\/p>\n