Kahoolawe seal pup
tagged for tracking

By Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.com

The Navy says it has successfully tagged the first Hawaiian monk seal born on the former target island of Kahoolawe.

The pup, believed to have been born in early May, is one of four monk seal births recorded this year. The others were at Kau on the Big Island, on Kauai's north shore and on Molokai.

It has been estimated that 1,300 to 1,400 monk seals live in the Hawaiian chain.

The Kahoolawe seal pup was tagged on June 22 by the Navy, its contractor Parsons-UXB Joint Venture and the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS).

Margaret Akamine Dupree, NMFS coordinator of the Hawaii Marine Mammal Stranding Network, said that with the assistance of the Navy, "we found the pup without a problem and were able to measure and tag him for future monitoring. He appears to be in good health."

The Navy, through Parsons-UXB, is conducting a cleanup of Kahoolawe, where more than 300 people a day are airlifted to the island for removal of unexploded ordnance. About 30 percent of the island has been cleared.

Lance Tanino, a natural-resources specialist with Parsons-UXB, monitors the pup daily. He also has briefed Parsons-UXB's field crews on the need to avoid disturbing the seal.

For the tagging of the seal, the Navy provided transportation to Kahoolawe for NMFS personnel and assisted in finding the pup.

"Working toward the recovery of the Hawaiian monk seal is one of our top priorities," said Charles Karnella, director of the NMFS's Pacific Islands Area Offices in Honolulu.

The Hawaiian monk seal is an endangered species protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act and Hawaii state laws. Under federal laws, the National Marine Fisheries administers programs to monitor, protect and recover endangered species such as the Hawaiian monk seal.