Shark Predation on Hawaiian Monk Seals - Pacific Islands Fisheries ...

SECTION I. WORKSHOP II REPORT
Overview of Workshop II: Goals and Objectives
The second Workshop on <strong>Shark</strong> <strong>Predation</strong> of the Hawaiian Monk Seal was held on November
5–6, 2008 on the 11 th floor of the Kapiolani Building in Honolulu, Hawaii and was organized
and directed by Bud Antonelis, Bert Harting, and Kathleen Gobush of Pacific Islands Fisheries
Science Center (PIFSC) of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS); Randy Reeves, who
represented the Marine Mammal Commission (MMC), served as facilitator. More than 35
attendees participated, including representatives from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine
National Monument, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), DLNR (Department of Land
and Natural Resources), MMC and Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team (HMSRT) and the
Pacific Islands Regional Office of the NMFS.
The goals of the workshop were to:
Improve our understanding of Galapagos shark predation on nursing monk seal
pups at French Frigate Shoals (FFS).
Identify the most feasible, effective and sensitive predation mitigation measures
likely to boost pup survival in a timely manner.
The objectives of the workshop included:
Provide updated information on monk seal population status and shark
predation trends.
Address dual missions of overall ecosystem preservation and specific species
recovery.
Provide updated information on shark ecology studies at FFS.
Provide an overview of recent predation mitigation activities at FFS.
Discuss and evaluate nonlethal and lethal approaches to mitigating predation.
Suggest a preferred course of action for monk seal/shark efforts in 2009.
Identify additional research needs in regards to mitigation techniques and seal
and shark ecology and behavior.
Address effects of research and mitigation activities on other resources at FFS.
The second workshop on shark predation mitigation was logically built on the outcomes of
the first workshop, as reviewed on the first day. Presentations describing the endangered
status of the Hawaiian monk seal and perspectives of stakeholders prompted the
discussions at the second workshop.
Review of Workshop I
Bert Harting, PhD, Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program
The first workshop on shark predation mitigation, held January 8–9, 2008, in Honolulu,
Hawaii, convened to examine the dynamics and history of Galapagos shark predation on monk
seal pups and to investigate the full range of mitigation options that might be applicable to the
situation at FFS. Participants included representatives of key agencies with jurisdictions in the