Use of Marine Habitats by Hawaiian Monk Seals ('Monachus schauinslandi') from Kure Atoll: Satellite-Linked Monitoring in 2001-2002; Administrative rept

摘要

The Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands Archipelago with six principal colonies in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and reefs of the archipelago. The species was designated as Endangered in 1976 under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) following declines of 50% from the late 1950s. Overall, numbers declined about 11% annually from 1989 through the mid-1990s, owing to low birth rates and poor survival of neonates and juveniles from a variety of known and unknown causes. The Hawaiian monk seal metapopulation now numbers 1,300 to 1,400 with colonies at six isolated sites in the NWHI and small but increasing numbers at the main Hawaiian Islands. In 1988, Critical Habitat for monk seals in the NWHI was designated as the emergent land, lagoon waters, and ocean waters out to the 20-fathom isobath. In 1991, a Protected Species Zone was established out to 50 nautical miles from the islands and the corridors between islands to protect seals from interactions with the pelagic longline fishery. The boundaries of those areas were established with limited information on the foraging habitats and ranges of monk seals. Here, we report the results of studies conducted at Kure Atoll Island, the westernmost colony in the NWHI, from October 2001 through September 2002 to define the general geographic and vertical marine habitats used by seals when foraging.