Headlines – News – Articles
14th May, 2012

DLNR, NOAA urge reporting of monk seal incidents

News Release, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii, 11 May 2012

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and NOAA Fisheries announced this week that since March 2012, NOAA Fisheries, DLNR, and partners have responded to five seal hooking incidents involving four individual Hawaiian monk seals. Three of these responses are still in progress.

NOAA and DLNR would like to take this opportunity to remind fishermen that monk seal deaths and injuries from fishing interactions can often be prevented, and adverse impacts to fishermen and seals can be reduced through early reporting of incidents.

“Monk seals are a vital part of Hawai‘i’s marine and cultural environment,” said William J. Aila, Jr., DLNR Chairperson. “While DLNR and NOAA seek to address all adverse impacts on Hawaiian monk seals, we want to acknowledge the cooperation of Hawai‘i fishermen and emphasize that we do not consider fishing interactions in the main Hawaiian Islands to currently pose a major threat to monk seal recovery.”

NOAA Fisheries Service data indicate that a total of 77 hooking incidents have been reported over the past 10 years, with at total of nine incidents in 2011 and eight incidents reported thus far in 2012 (including the five incidents discussed here). [More]

Source: DLNR, NOAA ask for fishermen’s kokua in reporting monk seal hooking or entanglements, News Release, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii, 11 May 2012 (PDF).

13th May, 2012

Vancouver Aquarium veterinarian assists in monk seal surgery

Media Watch, Vancouver Aquarium, 11 May 2012

Dr. Haulena gives endangered monk seal anaesthesia for surgical procedure (NOAA)

Vancouver Aquarium veterinarian, Dr. Martin Haulena, received an emergency call on May 9 to fly to Hawaii to help support a local rescue effort.

He participated in two successful procedures to remove accidentally-ingested fishing hooks from endangered monk seals on May 10.

One of the monk seals required surgery to remove the hook, which was lodged deep in the esophagus near the opening to the stomach. Dr. Haulena performed the anesthesia and collaborated with Dr. Robert Braun and veterinarians at the Honolulu Zoo to remove the hook. The seal is in recovery and rehabilitation is expected to take several days to weeks. [More]

Source: Aquarium veterinarian helps save monk seals, Vancouver Aquarium, 11 May 2012.

11th May, 2012

Conservation award for Madeira monk seals

Rosa Pires, Parque Natural da Madeira Service

The prize ceremony took place on May 7 in Lisbon, and was attended by the Portuguese Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Sea and Land Management, Assunção Cristas. Photo: Pablo Larrinoa.

The project “Monk Seal — a recovering species in Madeira” of the Parque Natural da Madeira Service was the project winner of the 2012 BES Biodiversity award.

The award is an initiative of the Portuguese bank Espírito Santo in partnership with the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO) of Porto University and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Biodiversity (ICNB).

Awarded annually, BES Biodiversity is currently the largest Portuguese award for research and business activity in environmental conservation and aims to recognize innovative research projects, conservation and biodiversity management in Portugal.

According to the BES press release, the fifth edition of this award was devoted to the theme “Biodiversity: Research and Conservation” and sought to distinguish conservation research projects with a strong practical component and results. The prize was awarded in recognition of the unique work in preservation and recovery of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal.

With the project prize, 75.000 Euros, the Parque Natural da Madeira Service intends to maintain the solid and continuous work that has been done in Madeira through the involvement of Madeira citizens in the monk seals’ protection, through the surveillance of their habitat and through improvement of the monitoring system by using automatic cameras. This task will link the Parque Natural da Madeira Service and the CBD-Habitat Foundation of Spain, which is already using this system to monitor monk seals in the Western Sahara.

5th May, 2012

Save Our Seal!

Hawaiian Monk Seal Public Service Announcement

26th April, 2012

Officials investigate seal death

Media Watch, Officials probe fourth Hawaiian monk seal death, Hawaii News Now

HONOLULU (AP) – Federal and state officials are investigating the fourth suspicious death of a Hawaiian monk seal in six months after a male seal was found dead in northeastern Kauai. [...]

Source: Officials probe fourth Hawaiian monk seal death, Hawaii News Now, 25 April 2012.

26th April, 2012

New monk seal killing alarms Hawaii

Media Watch, Reward offered in death of Monk Seal, KITV

The Department of Land and Natural Resources is investigating the death of 3-year-old male monk seal found on Kauai, Sunday. Photo Courtesy: NOAA

KAUAI – The Department of Land and Natural Resources is investigating the death of a 3-year-old male monk seal, who was found dead on Sunday.

DLNR chair William Aila said the seal was found on a Northeast Kaua’i beach in an area were seals have been harmed before. [...]

DLNR officials say this is the fifth monk seal death under investigation.

Since November, three seals were found dead on Molokai and two have been found dead on Kaua’i.

The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the monk seal deaths is now up to $40,000.

The anonymous and reward tip line is 1-855-DLNR-TIP.

Source: Reward offered in death of Monk Seal, KITV, 25 April 2012

11th April, 2012

“Fokionas” reunited with the sea

Press Release, MOm, 11 April 2012

Fokionas' release, 7 April 2012

On Saturday April the 7th, young “Fokionas”, the Mediterranean monk seal found at Syros on the 16th of February, returned back to his natural environment. After almost two months in the Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre of MOm in Alonnisos, a healthy and strong “Fokionas” was released in to the National Park of Alonnisos Northern Sporades.

When found at the age of three months, “Fokionas” was weak, very dehydrated, in a bad dietary condition and weighed merely 23 kg. His transport to the Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre of MOm in Alonnisos was deemed necessary in order to ensure his survival.

Under the supervision of the experts of MOm and the veterinarian in charge, “Fokionas” followed a specialized and intensive rehabilitation program that aimed in treating an infection and the parasites that had befallen him. Already from the first days of the treatment “Fokionas” responded positively and ate whole fishes, as he had stayed long enough with his mother to learn the basic feeding and hunting skills.

Upon release, “Fokionas” had reached a body weight of 58 kilos, while all veterinary examinations indicated that he is in an excellent health condition. It should be noted that “Fokionas” was one of the strongest and wildest pups to enter rehab at the Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre of MOm.

Source: “Fokionas” is back to the sea! MOm, 11 April 2012

31st March, 2012

Monk seal death in Libya

Ibrahem Benamer, Natural Resources and Environmental Science,
Omar Mukhtar University (OMU), El-beida, Libya

On the 25 March in the area of Ain Gazzalla (Northeast Libya near the Egyptian border, 32.23284 N, 23.2848 E) a group of fishermen found a dead female monk seal trapped in their net. The case was reported to the coastguard who in turn informed the National Marine Laboratory. The carcass is now in their possession at the Lab and an autopsy is being arranged during this week.

This event is the only confirmed case of monk seal existence in eastern Libya since Norris 1972 [Norris, W.J.T. 1972. Monk Seals in Libya. Oryx 11: 328-330.], which may indicate that this critically endangered species can still be found in the area or close by, which will support the importance of the area as an MPA.

A report will be issued after the autopsy; meanwhile, pictures taken by the fishermen can be found on Flickr.