The Hawaiian monk seal, or Monachus schauinslandi, was one of the original species to be placed under the Endangered Species Act that was enacted in 1973. As of 2010, the population of the monk seal is approximately 1,100, with an annual decrease of approximately 4.5%. The Hawaiian monk seal is primarily found on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands that are made up of coral reef atolls, seamounts, banks, and shoals. This is due to the fact that the monk seals primarily forage on the barrier reefs of the atolls, on submerged reefs, and on banks further from the atolls (Curtice et al, 2011). The monk seals are primarily benthic forgers and will search for food in a broad depth range up to 500m and over different substrates (National Marine …show more content…
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). One of the reasons this is occurring is due to human interaction. Adult females who are near birth or who have just given birth are very sensitive to disturbance (Gilmartin, Johanos, DeMaster, & Henderson, 2011). In 1960, the U.S. Coast Guard built a station on Green Island that was previously unoccupied to humans, and as a result of this the female monk seals would encounter humans almost daily causing the female monk seals to leave that preferred hauling and birthing sites and go to beaches that were highly affected by flooding, shark predation, and
This research will evaluate possible behavioral distinctions of manatees to oncoming water vessels with individual variation, such as manatees raised in captivity opposed to wild, multiple boat scars versus no noticeable boat scars, and age class variation. Geographical comparison of multiple species of manatees will determine behavioral disparity in areas with high watercraft mortality and areas where the threat is less predominant. An array of behaviors will be analyzed including communication, predator response, and feeding. This research will strongly build upon previous research, and has robust conservation implications for capture and release, as well as rehabilitation programs for this endangered marine mammal. The Environmental Science and Policy doctorate program at George Mason University will grant me the expertise needed to excel in this field of
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
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 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.
Every year in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Northern Atlantic Ocean, three Canadian seal populations are opened for commercial hunting. Since the 1750s, hooded seals, grey seals and iconic harp seals have been hunted for their valuable pelts and omega-3 rich oil. After being nearly hunted to extinction in the 1800s and a period of extensive anti-hunt activism in the 1960s and 70s, the hunt has become strictly regulated. Now, activism has forced the Atlantic Seal Hunt to support and maintain standards of sustainable resource harvesting and humaneness, and this hunt now has the potential to be a role model in these areas for other similar hunts worldwide.
It is estimated that monk seals have been living in the Hawaiian island chain for 14-15 million years. It is believed that they reached the Hawaiian archipelago through the Central American Seaway, which closed approximately 3 million years ago. They are considered by many to be a “living fossil” due to the primitive nature of the species. Both remaining species of monk seal are in imminent danger of going extinct. While the Hawaiian monk seal population numbers approximately 1,100 individuals, the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is fairing even more poorly, with the most recent estimate of 350-450 individuals (IUCN Red List). The Caribbean monk seal (Neomonachus tropicalis) was
U.S. Geological Survey’s Sirenia Project has been monitoring welfare biomarkers in manatees over several years in Kings Bay, Florida. Dr. Bob Bonde, a research biologist with the Sirenia Project, is granting the use of these samples for my proposed project. Identification and documentation of age classes of manatees at Kings Bay will account for manatees adapting to human interactions at these study sites over time. Thus, age may be positively correlated with lower welfare biomarker concentrations in samples. Fecal and blood samples will also be collected from captive manatees in swim programs at Isla Mujeres’s Dolphin Discovery Center with cooperation from staff members. Hypothesis 1: Human interaction induces negative physiological responses in the West Indian manatee, as indicated by welfare biomarker concentrations from fecal and blood
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.
Baby harp seals are disappearing in population because of the climate change going on near their habitat. These pups are constantly drowning and being crushed by melting ice every day. If this keeps occurring, they will quickly stop breeding and eventually become extinct. Although they are not endangered, baby harp seals are passing by the minute. If you think this is unacceptable and want them to be saved: choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases, replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, use a clothesline instead of a dryer when possible, cover your pots when cooking, and speak up to the public about how others can do these things too!
Imagine a world of chaos. We see things like that all the time in movies, where zombies roam the earth and there are just those few main survivors left. The world is in ruins. If ocean life was to die out, there would be a collapse of civilization as a whole. Just like we see on TV, the world would become a place where no order exists. This would lead to human extinction. The ocean dies, we die along with it, and if sea turtles die, so does the ocean. In simple words, one could say that human life depends on sea turtles. In this speech I will be covering three topics. First, how a sea turtle’s diet benefits marine life and humans, second, how sea turtles provide homes and food for other species, and last, how sea turtles protect beaches from washing away.
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).
The Mediterranean monk seal is categorized as a critically endangered species on the IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Red list and it is urgent needed for conservation measures. From 1986-1994, Mediterranean monk seal was classified as an endangered species. From 1996 onwards, it is classified as a critically endangered species on the IUCN Red list (Karamanlidis, A. & Dendrinos, P. 2015). It is also the most endangered pinniped(fin foot) species with approximately fewer than 400 as the population continues to decline(WWF,2016). The scientific name of this species is Monachus monachus (Hermann, 1779). Today, the native countries of Mediterranean monk seal are Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Mauritania, Portugal, Turkey and Western Sahara. The native fishing area of this seal is in Atlantic- eastern central, Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands, Madeira on the Atlantic shores of Northwest Africa, and black sea (WWF,2016). Figure 1 (Genevieve Johnson,2016) shows the areas where Mediterranean monk seals can usually be found nowadays.
It is always said that there is safety in numbers and that is true for seals because if a predator where to come there would be many other seals for it to try to get. It may also be warded off in all of the confusion. Another point, it says that Kotick went in inland, this keeps him safe from being swept out to sea, being eaten by orcas on the shore. And finally to stay out of the way of the fighting males on the beach.
While the Japanese government justifies these actions by claiming that the research they are performing is ultimately for better management and conservation of cetaceans, these hunts are unnecessary. Instead of killing whales to perform these tests, there are non lethal research methods that could be used instead. According to the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic, also known as JARPA II, the data that they collect includes the monitoring of whales and krill abundance, the feeding ecology of whales, the effects of contaminants on cetaceans and their habitat, competition among whale species, and elucidation of temporal and spatial changes in stock structure (2016). Although this research is important, all