Pacific Islands Area Office, National Marine Fisheries Service In consultation with:

The endangered Hawaiian monk seal population contains about 1,300 to 1,400 seals, most of which occur in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). Increasing reports of monk seal sightings and births in the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) since the mid-1990s indicates that seal numbers in this region may be growing (Baker and Johanos in review). Although higher numbers of monk seals would ultimately reduce the risk of extinction, their occurrence in the MHI also raises a suite of new challenges for enhancing recovery of the species. There is a growing body of scientific knowledge on which to base management decisions for enhancing the recovery of monk seals. Research activities have focused on four general categories: population dynamics, biology, foraging ecology, and health/disease. Most of the available information has been collected in the NWHI, and although relatively little is known about seals in the MHI, inferences can be made from the available information to direct conservation and protection efforts. There is, however, an apparent need to improve our knowledge of the MHI monk seals in the four categories listed above. Additionally, the high probability of humans being able to observe monk seals Ain the wild = represents a unique opportunity to use the monk seal as a focal point for educating the public about the importanc