Recovery is Possible: Hawaiian Monk Seals

`Ilioholoikauaua, the Hawaiian monk seal, is one of the most endangered marine mammals on earth. Today, dwindling numbers of monk seals forage in shallow nearshore and deep water habitat and haul out on beaches throughout the Hawaiian Islands, from the remote Kure Atoll to the west-facing beaches of the Big Island. Within the next five years, its population is expected to plummet below 1,000 individuals, a key benchmark on the path to extinction.

Recovery is possible. What is needed is adequate protection of monk seal habitat and acommitment to fully fund its recovery plan. But without our strong, immediate action, the Hawaiian monk seal -- and our cultural, spiritual, and historical connections to it -- will be lost forever.

Please sign today! Help us collect 1,000 signatures on this petition to demonstrate the public's commitment to saving `iliokai from extinction. Mahalo!

We call on the state and federal governments to give greater priority to saving this rare and important species from extinction by limiting harmful human activity in the fragile Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, giving sufficient funding for the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Plan, and protecting adequate critical habitat in the Main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

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Background

Threats to Hawaiian Monk Seals

The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world. Since the 1950s its population has dropped to about 1,300 animals and is continuing to decline. Scientists estimate populations will likely drop below 1,000 seals within a few years.

Over 90% of remaining monk seals are found in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a protected chain of atolls stretching 1,200 miles northwest of the Main Hawaiian islands (Ni`ihau, Kaua`i, O`ahu, Maui, Kaho`olawe, Moloka`i, Hawai`i Island). Sadly, monk seals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are dying of starvation, emaciated and weak, scientists have found. Pups have only about a one-in-five chance of surviving to adulthood. Other threats include drowning in abandoned fishing gear, shark predation, and disease.

Hawaiian monk seals are increasingly populating the main islands, where they are giving birth to healthy pups. For the past decade, the number of Hawaiian monk seal births has increased each year on the main islands, and the population of seals is growing steadily; the seals are in better condition than those in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. This indicates more food availability and a better chance of survival.

Global warming is also a threat to the survival of Hawaiian monk seals. Already, the conservation groups warn, important pupping beaches have been lost due to sea-level rise and erosion, and the northwestern islands will eventually disappear under predicted levels of sea-level rise since they are elevated only a few meters above sea level. The higher-elevation main islands are less vulnerable to sea-level rise.

Hawaiian monk seals are one of three species of monk seals. The Mediterranean monk seal is also critically endangered, while the Caribbean monk seal, which has not been seen in half a century, was declared extinct in June.

Solutions for Monk Seals

KAHEA, together with many national and local organizations, is pushing the federal and state governments to:

(1) Uphold protections for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Over 90% of monk seals today inhabit the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, where the human access, activity, and development is limited. Proposals to open the area to increased human use--tourism, military activities, construction, and extractive research--must be rejected in favor of full conservation of this last, intact reef ecosystem.

(2) Designate adequate critical habitat throughout both the Northwestern and Main Hawaiian Islands.
Current habitat designations offer only limited protections, banishing the monk seal to marginal habitat in remote areas of the Hawaiian archipelago. To have any real chance at recovery, the Hawaiian monk seal must have protected habitat throughout its entire range.

Today, we have the opportunity to dramatically improve the survival rate of the highly endangered Hawaiian monk seal. The federal government is considering increased funding levels for the Monk Seal Recovery Plan and additional critical habitat for the seal in both the main Hawaiian Islands and the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

What You Can Do

Sign this petition and spread the word! Your voice makes the difference!

Spread the word! You can email this petition to friends, family and co-workers by sending them this link: http://bit.ly/hawaiianmonksealpetition

Learn More

Learn more about Hawaiian monk seals and efforts to protect them at http://kahea.org/issues/ocean-protection/hawaiian-monk-seals

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