Well-defined, written instructions about how to act around endangered Hawaiian monk seals should be ready in time for the birthing seasons of spring and summer 2002. That’s the word from the National Marine Fisheries Service, which by January at the
Well-defined, written instructions about how to act around endangered Hawaiian monk seals should be ready in time for the birthing seasons of spring and summer 2002.
That’s the word from the National Marine Fisheries Service, which by January at the latest will schedule a meeting, probably on Kaua’i, between federal, state and county officials charged with protecting the world’s most endangered seal (latest population estimate: 1,300 to 1,400).
Actually, there are already protocols established for instances where seals and humans both want to play on the same beach. These will be refined in the meeting of government entities where other shareholders will also participate, said Delores Clark, NMFS spokeswoman.
Clark calls the seal summit a “debriefing,” after two consecutive summers when the same mother monk seal decided Po’ipu Beach Park was the perfect place to give birth.
The birthing activity at one of the county’s most popular beach parks closed down all or most of the park to human intrusion into the seal families’ birthing, bonding, teaching and weaning rituals.
The seals live at sea, but when it’s time to rest or perform birthing obligations, they plop down on un-populated beaches in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and on the two islands of the County of Kaua’i.
The last aerial survey of the county revealed fewer than 30 animals, most of them on and around Ni’ihau.
There are quite a few births in the populated Hawaiian islands, said Margaret Akamine Dupree, in charge of the protected species program at NMFS Honolulu office.
The debriefing will seek to refine steps to take during emergencies, how to handle signage and barricades, and other actions humans should take to ensure the safety of both seals and sapians.
Sometimes, though, the needs of humans and seals clash, Dupree said. It is hoped that a revised protocol will be in place by the time the 2002 birthing season arrives, she said.
Known seal behavior dictates that a mother who finds suitable birthing space at one beach often returns for more welcoming hospitality.
And because the mother of two Po’ipu-native seal sons the past two summers is likely to return, government officials will have written guidelines and trained professionals from three levels of government.
“We made great strides this year working with the county and the state, and we want to build on that,” said Dupree. Besides the governmental involvement and coordination, other interests, like neighboring hotels, volunteer seal watch participants, activities operators and other shareholders, will be included in the seal summit.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
