Ecological alarm: Monk seals dying out An entire generation of 4- and 5-year-old seals has vanished
By Greg Ambrose
Star-BulletinHawaii marine mammal experts are taking a grim message to an international gathering of their peers in Monaco: Hawaiian monk seals are dying at an alarming rate, and no one knows why. Fewer pups than ever are being born, and only half of those are surviving past weaning. Something could be lacking in their mothers' milk, but no one is certain.
An entire generation of 4- and 5-year-old seals has vanished, and researchers are mystified.
The population of Hawaiian monk seals at French Frigate Shoals, which comprises half of all these seals in the world, has dropped from 900 in 1989 to 400 today, and scientists admit they don't have enough information to do more than hazard a guess at the causes.
"Alarm bells should be ringing all over for that," says University of Hawaii marine mammal biologist Shannon Atkinson.
The relentless decline has Hawaiian monk seals solidly on the same path to extinction as their closest relatives.
According to Atkinson, Caribbean monk seals were last seen in 1952. And last May, 74 percent of the adult Mediterranean monk seals were lost in a major die-off, leaving just a few hundred alive.
"When the numbers get that low, it's hard to bring them back," says Atkinson. At last month's meeting, the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team decided that the seals aren't endangered anymore. They are critically endangered, to the point that a natural catastrophe could push them over the edge.
Atkinson is determined to keep that from happening.
The world's top marine mammal scientists are gathering in Monaco this week to reveal the fruits of their latest research at the Society for Marine Mammalogy's biennial meeting.
Atkinson will present three papers on Hawaiian monk seals, dealing with reproductive biology, starving youngsters and protecting monk seal populations by studying seals in sanctuaries. While at the conference, she also will seek the world's help in protecting Hawaii's seals.
Nina Young of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Marine Mammal Conservation, applauds Atkinson's strategy, calling it absolutely essential: "Scientists and environmental groups need to be educated about monk seal preservation, to help identify where they can play an important and productive role in the conservation of this species."
Atkinson is seeking a public/private partnership to help her establish a Hawaiian Monk Seal Center at Coconut Island, a safe natural environment where seals can be studied in safety.
The fisheries service has found that major threats to the seals are predation by sharks, adult males killing younger seals, curious juveniles drowning when entangled by fish nets and other marine debris, and starvation.
When more seals are seen foraging and having pups in the main Hawaiian Islands, it says that something is terribly wrong in the ecosystem of their normal range in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, Atkinson says.
For $1 million, she can enclose a section of Kaneohe Bay around Coconut island and provide an environment where sharks, debris and starvation won't threaten the seals.
For $200,000 a year, she and other researchers can study the seals' socialization, growth biology and reproductive biology for clues as to why they are doing so poorly in the wild. "Sea Life Park and the Waikiki Aquarium are a help with the seals, but there is nothing natural about their circumstances there," says Atkinson.
Save our seals
Those who want to help save the endangered Hawaiian monk seal can send tax-deductible contributions to: Hawaiian Monk Seal Center, c/o UH Foundation, 2444 Dole St., Bachman Hall Room 101, Honolulu, HI 96822.
