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Hawaiian Monk Seal:
©James Watt/NOAA
Among the Most Endangered Marine Animals in the World
Scientists predict that in the next five years the monk seal population could dip below 1,000.
More than
200 monk
seals have
been
observed
entangled
in marine
debris in
the past 20
years
©2008 Ocean Conservancy
Hawaiian Monk Seal
Scientific name: Monachus schauinslandi
The Hawaiian monk seal, (‘īlio-holo-i-ka-uaua, the dog that runs in the
rough seas), is found only in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Sometimes
called “living fossils,” monk seals haven’t changed much in 15 million
years. Named for their solitary behavior and the folds of skin on their
necks—which resemble a monk’s hood—they are one of the most
endangered marine animals in the world, with approximately 1,200 seals
remaining. Scientists predict that the population could dip below 1,000 in
the next five years.
Hawaiian monk seals live entirely within US waters, the majority in the
remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Critical habitat for monk seal
breeding and feeding has been designated on a number of islands under
the Endangered Species Act. A small but growing population has taken
root on the main Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaiian monk seals grow to seven feet and can weigh 600 pounds.
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Females tend to be larger than males.
Monk seals are classified as true seals,
as opposed to fur seals or sea lions,
since they have no external ears and
use their hind flippers for propulsion
and front flippers as stabilizers. Their
diverse diet includes fish, eel, octopus,
squid, and lobster. Researchers have
discovered that these seals dive to
depths of up to 500 meters (1,640
feet) searching for food on the sea
floor. Video footage shows feeding
seals competing with large fish and
sharks for food. 202.429.5609 Telephone
202.872.0619 Facsimilie
www.oceanconservancy.org
Ready for Recovery
What Ocean Conservancy Is Doing
The highest priority for recovery of monk
seals is to improve the survivorship
of females, especially juveniles, in the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. To
achieve this goal, we must protect monk
seal critical habitat, target research to
better understand juvenile survival, protect
females and their young from mobbing
and shark predation, remove marine
debris, and prevent lethal entanglements.
Debris in the ocean kills. Ocean
Conservancy—along with the National
Marine Fisheries Service, the US
Coast Guard, the US Fish and Wildlife
Service, and other organizations—has
assisted with the removal of over
100 tons of derelict fishing gear and
other marine debris from the islands
since 1998. We continue to actively
engage people to remove trash and
debris from the world’s beaches and
waterways, to identify the sources of
debris, and to change the behaviors
that cause pollution through our
International Coastal Cleanup (ICC)
(see our 2007 ICC Annual Report).
Threats to Hawaiian monk seals
In 1976, the Hawaiian monk seal was
listed as endangered under the federal
Endangered Species Act after hunting
in the 19th and early 20th centuries
decimated the population. Since that
time, monk seals have demonstrated
a high sensitivity to routine human
interactions, such as US military
operations in the Hawaiian Islands
that hampered reproduction. Today,
limitation of food, aggressive male
behavior (known as “mobbing”) toward
adult females and immature seals,
and shark predation contribute to low
survival rates for young seals.
On top of these threats, more
than 200 monk seals have been
observed entangled in fishing gear
or other debris in the past 20 years.
Prevailing ocean currents converge
near the Northwestern Hawaiian
Islands depositing marine debris
from thousands of miles away.
Melting ice caps and warming seas
due to climate change will increase
sea level in the low-lying Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands. Erosion and
inundation raise the potential for
significant habitat loss for these seals
that depend on beaches for pupping,
nursing, molting, and resting. Warming
oceans also contribute to ocean
desertification, in which huge expanses
of ocean can no longer produce the
quantities of food necessary to support
ocean creatures.
Entangled seal photo Courtesy of NOAA Fisheries, PIFSC
Today, most of the islands inhabited by
monk seals are protected as part of the
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National
Monument The designation of this
massive coral reef system as a national
monument will help to minimize human
disturbance while facilitating muchneeded research on monk seals. A growing population of perhaps one
hundred seals in the main Hawaiian
Islands holds the faint promise for
recovery for the species, but human
disturbance threatens mothers
and pups resting on the famous
beaches. Increased outreach to local
communities about the plight of monk
seals, as well as better coordination
between government and nongovernmental organizations, would go
a long way toward helping this delicate
population recover.
On July 2, 2008, Ocean Conservancy
joined the Center for Biological
Diversity and KAHEA: The Hawaiian
Environmental Alliance in a petition to
the National Marine Fisheries Service
to revise critical habitat designation for
Hawaiian monk seals. The petition
recommends extending protections in
the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to a
depth of 500 meters (1,640 feet). It also
recommends extending critical habitat
to the previously unprotected main
Hawaiian Islands, to include all areas
from the beach to ocean waters out to a
depth of 200 meters (656 feet). What You Can Do
• Sign up for or start a beach
cleanup with the International
Coastal Cleanup (ICC). www.
coastalcleanup.org
• Join our Ocean Action Network
and receive email alerts on future
calls for your help in saving
the Hawaiian monk seal. www.
oceanconservancy.org
To boost survival rates, the National
Marine Fisheries Service and local
animal care organizations launched a
• Monk seals are protected by the
pilot captive care program for monk seals. Endangered Species Act. If you live
Seals from the Northwestern Hawaiian
in Hawaii or are visiting the islands,
Islands were brought to facilities on Oahu please respect and follow monk
for care and feeding and then released
seal viewing guidelines and comply
back into the wild. Satellite tracking
with existing laws and regulations
shows these seals are doing well. designed to protect monk seals.
Hawaiian Monk Seal • Page 2