Adult Hawaiian Monk Seals are more than 2 m (6.5 ft) long and can weigh more than 175 k (400 lbs).  They are endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago, but now the main breeding grounds are only found in the NWHI.

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  The seal above was freed from a discarded net by a scientist in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.  Many others aren't so lucky.  Like the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, marine debris is very hazardous for the seals.  Nets can entangle the seals and they may drown before they can free themselves.

  Since the 1950's the population of the Hawaiian Monk Seal has decreased by about 50%.  Scientists are not exactly sure why this rapid decline has occurred, but they suspect that large-scale changes in the environment may be the cause.  One hypothesis is that nutrient mixing in the waters of the North Pacific Ocean occasionally undergo shifts that make the ecosystems more or less productive.

Hawaiian Monk Seal Links
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• National Marine Fisheries Page
  
  
• Waikiki Aquarium's Live SealCam
  
  
• U.S. Geological Survey Page
  
  
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Page
  
  
• Bishop Museum's Hawaii Biological Survey Page
  
  
• Detailed Article from University of California San Diego

Photos by Monte Costa and Jim Maragos