Presence of seals worries officials
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Science Writer
The number of endangered Hawaiian monk seals frequenting the main Hawaiian Islands appears to have increased in recent years, and wildlife officials are getting worried.
Advertiser library photo • Feb. 10, 2000
Hawaiian monk seals are endangered species and federal and state wildlife authorities are required by law to protect them. But there are other issues as well.
Wildlife officials are worried about the number of Hawaiian monk seals heading to the main islands because of possible dangers to them and to humans.
Seals can be aggressive toward humans, and many people underestimate their potential ferocity in protecting their young.
Wildlife officials are spending increasing amounts of time and money posting warnings and staffing beaches where seals have chosen to haul out.
An aerial survey of beaches on the main Hawaiian Islands last year established a minimum estimated population of 52 seals, two-thirds of them on Ni'ihau. Most of the roughly 1,500 remaining monk seals are in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Biologists say they do not have enough firm data to clearly show a trend of increased numbers, but sightings are up and there is no doubt endangered species officials responding to more incidents involving seals than a few years ago.
Seals giving birth on popular beaches are one problem. During each of the past two summers, a seal gave birth on Kaua'i's Po'ipu Beach.
Wildlife authorities cordoned off large sections of the beach, but when a mother seal swam past the restricted zone to nip a swimming visitor, they expanded the zones.
That raised complaints that the seals were restricting visitor access to one of the prime tourist destination beaches on the island.
Last month, a seal gave birth to a stillborn pup on a south Kaua'i beach.
On March 31, a seal was spotted resting at the mouth of a North Shore stream on O'ahu.
On April 1, a Coast Guard crew spotted a dead monk seal in Honolulu Harbor. The seal's body could not be found later, so the cause of death could not be determined.
That same day, a seal was spotted on an east Kaua'i beach with a hook in or near its throat. Biologists tried to remove the hook, but the seal had moved on. Hookings and entanglements in fishing gear are a major cause of injury and death among monk seals.
With seals hauling out on shores statewide, conservation authorities are often called to popular beaches to limit contact between the endangered animals and beachgoers. The no-entry zones are to protect the seals from harassment by humans and protect humans from injury by seals that can weigh twice as much as some NFL linemen.
Sightings of seals that may be injured or in trouble, are being harassed by humans should call a toll-free 24-hour National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hotline at (888) 256-9840.
