18 October
Charles Littnan
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NOAA NMFS
Hawaiian monk seals: science, conservation, and the harsh realities of saving an endangered species
Abstract
The Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) is in crisis: the population is in a decline that has lasted 20 years and only around 1,200 monk seals remain. Modeling predicts the species’ population will fall below 1,000 animals in the next 5 years. This presentation summarizes the biology and ecology of the species including the numerous threats to its survival and the more than 2 decades of effort to manage, study, and recover the Hawaiian monk seal. I will particularly focus on the many exciting recent advances in our understanding of monk seal foraging ecology and the links between environment and population demography of the species. Finally, I will overlay the efforts to research and recover monk seals on the backdrop of the numerous social, political, and natural hurdles impeding conservation activities, and discuss the outlook for the species’ future.
Bio
Charles Littnan, PhD is an ecologist for the Protected Species Division at the NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. Charles has worked on marine mammals for 13 years and particularly interested in the practical application of conservation biology of marine mammals and understanding the links between population biology, ecology, and environment. He has a BSc in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University at Galveston, and a PhD in Environmental Sciences at Macquarie University in Australia, where he worked on the foraging ecology of Australian fur seals. Charles worked for 5 years in the Hawaiian monk seal program utilizing various diet analysis techniques (fatty acids, stable isotopes, fecal) and telemetry equipment (Crittercam, cell phone tags, dive recorders) to understand the ecology of this critically endangered seal. He currently leads the monk seal program developing programs to increase monk seal survival.
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