Hawaiian Monk Seal Essay

A Review of “The Devil and Deep Blue Sea” by Linda Pannozzo Introduction In her book The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: An Investigation into the Scapegoating of Canada’s Grey Seal, Linda Pannozzo accomplishes few important things: she makes a compelling argument for the senseless killing of grey seal; she provides an analytic framework for the reasons of the decline of cod fish; and she provides a wealth of information on the politic behind scapegoating of Canada’s grey seal. Pannozzo presents The Devil and Deep Blue Sea in a clear and unbiased matter, but its presentation is by no mean elementary. Pannozzo’s book is meticulously researched, thus providing us with both quantitative and statistical account surrounding seal ways of life, their diet, history and other necessary aspects of marine life ecosystem. Book Summary

The most important thing to a harbor seals survival is its habitat, which determines shelter, adaptations, evolution, and the type of food available. Harbor seals live in shallow waters of coastal areas, sandy beaches, rocky islands, mudflats, and bays.

The problem with plastic ending up in the ocean is that marine life is being harmed by the presence of it. A study done on the harbor seals in the Netherlands found that more than 12% had plastic in the digestive system (California Coastal Commission). The list of affected species indicates that marine debris is affecting a significant number of species. It affects at least 267 species worldwide, including 86% of all sea turtle species, 44% of all seabird species, and 43% of all marine mammal species (Save our shores). The problem is underestimated because the marine life that ingests plastic or dies from entanglement often goes undiscovered due to the vastness of the ocean, as they either sink or are eaten by predators before they are discovered (Plastic Debris). The potential harm from ingestion of plastics is not restricted to seabirds. Plastic bags drifting on ocean currents resemble the prey of turtles. There is evidence that their survival is being hindered by plastic debris with young sea turtles being vulnerable (Ocean pollution). Over the past 20 years polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have polluted marine food webs at an increasing rate, and are prevalent in seabirds. Though their adverse effects may not always be apparent, PCBs lead to reproductive disorders, increase the risk of disease and alter hormone levels. These chemicals have a detrimental effect on marine organisms even at very low levels and plastic pellets could be a route for PCBs into marine food

The panda of the sea is in danger. The local Southern Resident Killer Whale J,K, and L pods population is disintegrating quickly. This is due to habitat destruction, reproductive issues, and a limited food supply. All of these factors are causing the Southern Resident Killer Whale population in the Pacific Northwest to decrease drastically and now they are a species that is listed under the Endangered Species Act. According to whale researcher Ken Balcomb, “The SRKW population was declared Endangered under the US Endangered Species Act in 2005, and earlier this year it was listed as a “species in the spotlight” by NOAA for its lack of recovery since then”(Balcomb). With recent deaths of J28 and her calf J54, many whale activist have been pushing

and about 60 Japanese, (although it is tough to figure out how many Japanese), people

Orcas have the most diverse diet of all the marine mammals. Some specimens of orcas prefer different types of marine mammals or marine life. They will mostly eat fish and squid, but will devour almost any marine animal in site. They tend to eat a wide array of fish from salmon, hering, halibut, and cod. One Orcas was found to have a harbor seal, a stellar sea lion, and a harbor porpoise in its stomach. Another orca was found to have the remains of 32 adult harbor seals in its belly (Martin.) The orca has been observed to eat river otters, squid, and

The Phocidae family consists of 29 existing species of earless seal that have been left from the initial 40. Out of this moderately sized group, we will be looking at the Hawaiian monk seal, Southern elephant seal, and the Crabeater seal.

There is an overabundance of seals, by the government setting a quota and people following that they ensure that there will still be a thriving population of seals. (FAQS: The Atlantic seal hunt, 2009). The benefits for Newfoundlanders from the seal hunt are unconceivable; it helps our province become economically stable and our unemployment rates go down. Most importantly with the population control of seal, it would hopefully one day lead to the day where the moratorium is lifted.

How did the Polynesians find their way to Hawaii, over two thousand miles from any other land? Was it over population at home, or political turmoil? Whatever reason for leaving these people used amazing knowledge and skill of the ocean and of the sky to navigate them to this new land. They faced the unknown and braved into the wide-open ocean for long periods of time. The real focus in this paper is on the navigation techniques that they used in these voyages throughout the Pacific.

The impact of toxoplasmosis has resulted in the endangerment of the California sea otter and the extinction of alala, the Hawaiian crow. With only 1300 Hawaiian monk seals in existence, toxoplasmosis can potentially lead to their extinction. The extinction of the Hawaiian monk seal can produce devastating effects on the species that rely on the Hawaiian monk seal for food, such as the Tiger shark and Galapagos shark (NOAA, 2016). Meanwhile, the fish, crustacean, and cephalopod population may increase due to the reduction in predators. Therefore, the extinction of a species can disrupt Hawaii’s sensitive

Due to misinformation, some believe that the monk seal’s primary diet is commercial fish, and competes with local fishers by eating its weight in fish in a single day— this is patently untrue, as no large mammal would be able to consume that much food in a single day. Some believe that the seals were brought in by the federal government and are not actually endemic to Hawaii. While it’s true that the main population of monk seals have existed in the Northwest Hawaiian islands (NWHI), there is archaeological evidence from before the 19th century that the seals coexisted with humans in the MHI (Watson et al). Since they are also a relatively rare species, their cultural prevalence has not been as strong as some species (i.e., sea turtles). The use of historical Hawaiian newspapers, as well as research into Hawaiian etymology, as well as archaeological and anthropological investigations can help add to our knowledge base (Watson et al). NOAA’s Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center, and the Marine Conservation Institute are doing much to dispel these myths by providing informational websites to the

The Hawaiian Monk seal is a greatly endangered marine species. These adorable creatures are being used for human goods such as their skin, meat, and oils. Not only this, but predators like Sharks and poisoning have also killed off the breed. Today in 2017, only about 1,100-1,400 are fighting for their lives. Since these beautiful creature, live on a touristy island, it is common for humans to be one of the biggest threats. Humans can throw litter and plastic into the water just to watch these animals suffer. Their own kind have also been a rising cause of these animals decreasing population by the males killing the females in group attacking called “mobbing”. These creatures are supposed to live anywhere

Hawaii Turtle Tours takes you for a tour around the island of Oahu to see some pretty amazing things. However, most people don’t know about the trouble that the islands face. The islands are home to some amazing and unique plants and animals. Yet, today it is estimated that there approximately 90% of these species are invasive or foreign. Leaving only 10% of native and endemic species left on the island. This means that of this small percentage, these plans and animals are found nowhere else in the world. Plus, the majority of these species are endemic, which means that they are found only in Hawaii and nowhere else.

The population decline in monk seals is due to several different factors with the biggest reason due to the low pup and juvenile survival rates (Curtice et al, 2011). At the Kure Atoll on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, 32 pups were observed in 1964 and 30 pups were observed in 1965. Of these pups born, all but one died or disappeared within 60 days after birth. This was also seen in the 1970’s at Green Island and Kure Atoll, where a mean population of 17 and 14 seals, respectively, was counted on these beaches, with a birth total of 10 showing a population decline of 70% (Gilmartin et al, 2011). The juvenile survival rate is still seen today with one in five monk seals surviving to the reproductive age, with one year old seals having the highest mortality rates (Norris et al, 2011).

The polar bear lives up in the Arctic region where global warming and climate change are melting the ice caps that the bears thrive on. They use the ice as a platform from hunting and rest. The random pocket holes in the ice, where the seals pop up at, is where the polar bear catches its prey. With this reduction of ice, “the abundance of seals, and increases the amount of energy and time needed for hunting, leaving less energy for reproduction” (Endangered Species and Habitats).