Monk Seal Monday #164: More Possible Pups

On the flipper heels of last week’s news that the Hawaiian monk seal population surpassed 1,500 (1,570 to be exact) for the first time in 20 years, several female Hawaiian monk seals rolled out of the ocean and galumphed ashore on Kauai looking rather plump. Plump as in possibly pregnant. And, no, these three were not included in Monday, April 25th’s update in these digital pages. (Because, apparently, once you publish something, new facts like monk seals emerge!)

Here they are:

RK42 with yearling RP20 for size perspective. PC: M. Olry

RK42 was born in 2018 and sighted only once or twice in the two subsequent years and not at all in 2021. Then, she popped up in March earlier this year and again last week at Mahaulepu. She might spend most of her time at Kipu Kai, but, who knows, could be Niihau, too. RK42 is the daughter of one-time regular “pupper” RK13, who–up there in age–hasn’t been sighted for about a year. It’s good to know RK13’s offspring survives, looking all grown up and quite healthy. Who knows, although a little young, maybe she’ll pup later this year.

R7GM talking to RN30. PC: M. Olry

R7GM is another seal who hasn’t been reported much in recent years (and not at all this year) only to be sighted this weekend looking large and in charge (as she reminds adult male RN30). R7GM was tagged as an adult. There’s no record of her pupping on Kauai, likely heading to Niihau when it’s time to give birth.

RK14. PC: M. Olry

RK14 regularly hauls out on the north shore and is not averse to rocky substrates for naptime. She is unusual, because she only has three teats, instead of the regular four. That and a natural bleach mark on her head help identify her. RK14 has been sighted in the past with a pup on Niihau. Possibly pushing 20 years of age, RK14 has been instrumental in helping boost the population of Hawaiian monk seals to record levels in recent years.

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Field Report: March 2021

Monthly Update: The Kauai team logged 137 seal sightings this month. This included 28 individually identified seals.

• March: 137
• February: 119
• January: 125
• December: 119
• November: 133
• October: 152
• September: 152
• August: 198
• July: 120
• June: 81
• May: 147
• April: 117
• March: 200

New:

·       A neonate monk seal pup was found dead at Makua – Ha’ena Beach Park area. The road to Hanalei was closed due to a landslide at this time, and therefore no response was possible. A local resident assisted by taking photos and burying the carcass on the beach. The pup’s umbilical cord was still attached. No pregnant seals were known to be in the area, therefore the mother’s identity is unknown.

·       A new adult female seal was sighted at PMRF with remarkable scars and given an official ID. Scars do not match to any existing known seal. ID is now temp 603.

·       Closely-monitored, juvenile male RL08 who remained hauled out in the same location for seven days. It was uncertain whether the seal had been foraging at night or remaining in the same location for the entirety of time until vacating the area. RL08 appears to be foraging normally now.

·       Monitored several pregnant seals that are likely to pup on Niihau in the next couple months.

Updates:

·       Adult female RK13 continues to be closely monitored due to previous logging behavior and possible dog bite injuries. Two doses of antibiotics were administered using the pole syringe in February. RK13 appeared stable and healthy in March.

·       Subadult male seal RK58 was returned from KKO after 6 weeks of rehab and released on the north shore. He was treated at KKO for likely dog attack injuries that resulted in significant weight loss and infected puncture wounds.

·       Again this month, off-leash dogs continue to be a problem. This past month dogs at Shipwrecks Beach, and Kukui Ula harbor in Poipu were problematic. Worked with DOCARE to monitor and enforce leash violations.

·       Due to COVID-19 stay-at-home measures, our new methods of monitoring continue, which include:

• Weekly surveys of key beaches conducted by staff.
• DAR staff conducting weekly island wide Creel Surveys.
• PMRF staff continuing to send in routine reports and photos.
• Requesting that people who call the hotline to report seals assist us by sending several photos and setting-up SRA signs or sticks. 

·       Bleach marks applied: juvenile female, unknown, applied V7 bleach mark.

Volunteers: 

·       Volunteer program remains on hold due to COVID-19.

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Field Report: February 2021

The Kauai team logged 119 seal sightings this month. This included 24 individually identified seals.

• January: 125
• December: 119
• November: 133
• October: 152
• September: 152
• August: 198
• July: 120
• June: 81
• May: 147
• April: 117
• March: 200
• February: 264

New:

·       Subadult male RK58 was discovered in much thinner body condition with significant weight loss since prior sighting 2 months earlier. He also had remarkable swelling around the head, appeared weak, lethargic, dull, and fairly unresponsive to human activity on the beach. The swelling around the head appeared to be two abscesses with draining tracts likely caused by small punctures visible on each side of the head. The seal was captured and transported to KKO by USCG for rehab. The seal had likely suffered from a dog attack weeks earlier with bite injuries around the head, chest, and flippers. RK58 is recovering well and likely to be returned to Kauai in March or April.

·       Several pregnant seals are being monitored that are likely to pup on Niihau in the next couple months.

Updates:

·       Adult female RK13 continues to be closely monitored due to logging behavior and possible dog bite injuries. Two doses of antibiotics were administered using the pole syringe in February.

·       Off-leash dogs continue to be a problem. This past month dogs at Shipwrecks Beach and Kukui Ula harbor in Poipu were problematic. Worked with DOCARE to monitor and enforce leash violations.

·       Due to COVID-19 stay-at-home measures, our new methods of monitoring continue, which include:

• Weekly surveys of key beaches by staff.
• DAR staff conducting weekly island wide Creel Surveys.
• PMRF staff continuing to send in routine reports and photos.
• Requesting that people who call the hotline to report seals assist us by sending several photos and setting-up SRA signs or sticks. 

Also:

Bleach marks applied: subadult female, unknown, applied V5 bleach mark.

Molting seals: Monitored an adult male who molted at PMRF this month.

Vaccines: Administered booster morbillivirus vaccine to PK1.

Volunteer program: Remains on hold due to COVID-19.

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Monk Seal Monday #117: 2020 In Review

Here are some year-end stats. Like everything for 2020, remember that these numbers are greatly influenced due to COVID-19, which paused the Kauai Hawaiian Monk Seal Conservation Hui’s volunteer program.

Grand sightings total: 

• 2,005 or 5.5/day monk seal sightings on Kauai in 2020.
• 3,154 or 8.9/day in 2019.
• 3,253 or 8.9/day in 2018.
• 3,621 or 9.9/day in 2017.
• 3,236 or 8.9/day in 2016.
• 3,321 or 9.1/day in 2015.
• 2,516 or 6.9/day in 2014.

Kauai population: 

• 67 unique individual seals sighted on Kauai in 2020.
• 67 in 2019.
• 60 in 2018.
• 60 in 2017.
• 56 in 2016.
• 53 in 2015.
• 47 in 2014.

Births: 3 total born on Kauai in 2020.

• V00 (bleach-marked) born to RB00 in March.
• V02 (bleach-marked) born RH58 to in August.
• RM28 (flipper-tagged) born to RK28 in August.

Mortalities: 6 confirmed mortalities in 2020.

• R313 and fetus: adult female with near full term fetus, necropsy pending.
• RJ36: 3-year-old male, hook ingestion, necropsy pending.
• RKA6: 2-year old female, mummified condition, cause of death unknown.
• RL52: 1-year-old male, necropsy pending, case under investigation.
• Weaned female pup, ID unknown, necropsy pending, case under investigation.
• Subadult seal, sex and ID unknown, mummified condition, cause of death unknown, case under investigation.

Niihau Seals (likely): sighted a minimum of 8 new seals in 2020, but likely more as several new untagged seals had no markings or scars so no temporary IDs were given.

• 8 in 2020.
• 5 in 2019.
• 9 in 2018.
• 12 in 2017.
• 6 in 2016.
• 14 in 2015.

Displacements: 4 total displacements occurred.

• 3 displacements from unsafe or unsuitable locations (boat ramps, beach roads, sidewalks, etc).
• 1 displacements from the Poipu keiki pool. 

Vaccination for morbillivirus efforts: 

Due to COVID-19, fieldwork was minimal and no seals were vaccinated. Plans are in place to resume vaccinations in 2021.

Bleach marking effort: 

6 bleach marks were applied.

Stranding Responses in 2020: 

One monk seal stranding response and 6 carcass retrievals:

• RK13 – gillnet wrapped around muzzle was removed with a pole mounted cutting tool. 

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Monk Seal Monday #116: Top Ten

Below you’ll find the top ten “reported” Hawaiian monk seals on Kauai for 2020. By reported, we mean those monk seals that were called in—and identified—to the Hawaiian Monk Seal Conservation Hui hotline. (See a monk seal on the beach? Report it to 808-651-7668.)

Keep in mind, many things affect this list. Monk seals often have favorite locations where they haul out. If a monk seal favors a location that happens to be easily accessible by humans, bingo, that seal will be reported more often to the hotline. Of course, monk seal moms and their pups rack up a high number of reported sightings, because they stick to the same beach for weeks on end. Molting monk seals, too. As this list will also reveal, young monk seals are often sighted and reported, too, because they tend to make themselves noticed;-)

To make this list a little more interesting, we’ve included only those tagged seals, meaning pups are not included until they are weaned and flipper-tagged.

You might find it interesting to compare this year to last year. You’ll see a few regulars appearing in both years, as well as, some newcomers to the list. However, keep in mind, because of COVID-19 and the greatly abbreviated volunteer program, this year’s reporting numbers are, as expected, quite lower. What’s interesting is that the many years of work by the Kauai Hawaiian Monk Seal Conservation Hui has educated the public so well that the hotline is still ringing. Concerned citizens are calling and reporting seals. This is in great part due to the diligent outreach efforts of the volunteer team.

So, here goes:

1. With 90 reported sightings, one-year-old female RL58 tops the list. She was born to the famous RH58, also known as Rocky, in July of 2019. She remains close to her natal beach and has a preference for hauling out in rocky areas rather than sand, and doesn’t socialize with other seals much.
   
2. With 66 reported sightings, the 20 plus year-old-female RK13 ranks second. She is the most well-known seal on Kauai’s east side, easily identifiable by her blind white left eye, many body scars, and worn red flipper tags that read 5AA and 5AB. She has given birth at least three times that we know of, including in 2012, 2015, 2018. Hopefully she will continue that pattern and pup again in 2021.
   
3. With 61 reported sightings, seven-year-old RN30 ranks third. He tends to range far and wide with reported sightings of him from many different beaches on Kauai and Oahu.
   
4. With 52 reported sightings, the seven-year-old R353 ranks fourth. She first showed up on Kauai in 2016 and is likely a Niihau girl. The past couple of years we watched her gradually get very large and pregnant, disappear for a couple of months and then return after losing about half her body weight. We suspect her pups were born on Niihau.
   
5. With 45 reported sightings, one-year-old male RL08 ranks fifth. He was infamously fat as a pup, nursing two full weeks longer than the average nursing period of 40 days. It appears that 54 days of fatty milk gave him a head start as he now looks more like a 3-year-old seal, rather than the yearling he is.
   
6. With 44 reported sightings, R3CD and RN44 are tied for sixth. These 6 and 7-year-old males, respectively, are difficult to tell apart. They are the same size, have very few scars, and often challenge each other for the right to rest near certain females. However, RN44 has recently become a regular seal sighted on Oahu, so R3CD may have less competition in 2021.
   
7. With 43 reported sightings, two-year-old female RKA2 comes in at a very close seventh. She’s the offspring of the late, great, RK30, and has become a very faithful east side seal, although originally from Milolii Beach on the Na Pali Coast.
   
8. And finally tied for eighth, with 41 reported sightings, are the four-year-old R1NS and nine-year-old RK90. These healthy large females are both most likely from Niihau, but tagged on Kauai as yearlings. R1NS is currently looking rather large, and we suspect she is pregnant for her first time. The question is, where will she go to pup?

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Field Report: February 2020

Update: The Kauai team logged 264 seal sightings this month. This included 39 individually identified seals.

February: 264
January: 319
December: 180
November: 223
October: 258
September: 203
August: 324
July: 239
June: 179
May: 262
April: 348
March: 350

New:

• Adult female RK13 hauled out on the road shoulder at Fuji Beach, Kapaa, requiring one lane to be closed. She was displaced back into water by NOAA and DLNR staff, and the lane was re-opened.
• Adult female RK13 hauled out with a small amount of gillnet wrapped around her muzzle and top teeth. A blunt hook attached to a pole was used to pull most of the net off. A small amount remained attached to the top left canine but did not pose a hazard and was gone by the next day.
• Juvenile male R1NI was displaced from under a hazardous undercut bank at Kiahuna Beach, Poipu. The overhanging bank collapsed two days later.
• Juvenile female NL04 sighted on Kauai. This seal was born on Niihau and flipper tagged during a Niihau survey. She hauled out on the north shore and was the first sighting her on Kauai. 

Updates on previously reported issues:

• Five of the six pups born in 2019 have been sighted recently and continue to thrive, the sixth is likely on the remote Na Pali Coast.
• Displacements: Adult male R4DW was displaced from Glass Beach at sunset due to the unsafe night time haul-out location.
• Molting: 
  • RN44 completed his molt on the north shore.
  • RJ36 molted on the south shore.
  • RK58 molted on the south shore.
• Bleach marking: 1 applied this month.

Research/Support of Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center

• Sub-sampled scat, molt, and tissue plug samples accordingly.
• Logged all seal sightings for PIFSC database. Organized photos and reported sightings, molt tallies, survival factors to send to PIFSC.

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Monk Seal Monday #88: Netted.

Hawaiian monk seals are curious creatures, sticking their noses in places to find food. Unfortunately, some of those places can be dangerous for them. It seems those causing the most harm are a result of humans. Over the years, the Kauai Hawaiian Monk Seal Conservation Hui has removed all kinds of things from the muzzles of monk seals, including plastic rings and, even, a plastic water bottle. Thankfully, our team has gotten pretty creative at responding to these situations.

At 3:30 on the afternoon of February 10, a volunteer called the hotline to report that adult female RK13 was entangled with a small amount of lay gillnet (fishing net) around her mouth. Importantly, she was able to open her mouth and did not appear in distress.  

When NOAA officials arrived at 4:15, RK13 was resting comfortably. A small amount of light-weight gillnet was wrapped around her muzzle, nose, and upper teeth. What was unclear, however, was how much gillnet was in her mouth.  Or, even, if she’d ingested any of it.

After receiving authorization, the team approached the sleeping seal with a blunt hook attached to a pole. The object was to snag the gillnet in order to pull it off. When the hook made contact with her face, RK13 flinched and made an open mouth threat which revealed a small amount of net attached to her top left canine. Another small piece of similar size was removed with the pole hook. No further net was observed inside the seal’s mouth. The small piece remained attached to the top left canine but did not pose a hazard to the seal. The seal entered the water and swam away.

RK13 was sighted the next day free of the final small piece of the gillnet. 

(FYI: The gillnet size was 3 inches (8 cm) stretched mesh size, which is legal in Hawaii. Legal stretched mesh size is 2 inches or larger.)

As these photos illustrate, this gillnet could have easily gone unnoticed. (This is why a good pair of binoculars come in super handy.) Thankfully, a very alert volunteer didn’t miss it.

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Monk Seal Monday #82: Meet the 2019 Top Ten

The numbers are tallied. Below you’ll find the top ten “reported” Hawaiian monk seals on Kauai for 2019. By reported, we mean those monk seals that were reported—and identified—to the Hawaiian Monk Seal Conservation Hui hotline. (See a monk seal on the beach? Report it to 808-651-7668.)

Keep in mind, many things affect this list. Monk seals often have favorite locations where they haul out. If a monk seal favors a location that happens to be easily accessible by humans, bingo, that seal will be reported more often to the hotline. Of course, monk seal moms and their pups rack up a high number of reported sightings, because they stick to the same beach for weeks on end. Molting monk seals, too. As this list will also reveal, young monk seals–especially young males–are often sighted and reported, too, because they tend to make themselves noticed;-)

To make this list a little more interesting, we’ve included only those tagged seals, meaning pups are not included until they are weaned and tagged.

So, here goes:

1. With 122 reported sightings, five-year-old male R3CX tops our list. He was flipper-tagged as a youngster at Keoneloa (colloquially known as Shipwrecks) beach in March 2015. Since then, he’s been commonly seen roughhousing with other males along the south shore and has been displaced from dangerous areas on more than one occasion. He was last seen on November 30th at Poipu.
2. With 117 reported sightings, four-year-old male RG58 follows close behind. Not surprising since they can both be found hauled out on the same beach or roughhousing in shallow water. Born to RH58 in 2015 on the north shore, RG58 is regularly sighted on the south shore. He was last reported today at Poipu.
3. With 116 reported sightings, six-year-old female R7GM ranks third. Those numbers were boosted by the fact that she molted this year. She was last reported on the north shore on December 27th.
4. With 99 reported sightings, six-year-old male RN44 ranks fourth this year, also boosted by his reported molting. RN44 was born to RH58 in 2013 on the north shore where he’s a regular and has been reported interacting with weaners. He was last reported on the north shore on December 27th.
5. With 97 reported sightings, mature female RK13 ranks fifth this year, boosted in her numbers by her molt. Most of the sightings come from the east side; however, she sometimes pops up on the south and west side of the island. She’s also been known to swim up and log in canals. This year, RK13 was displaced from the road edge at Fuji Beach, Kapaa at 3:00 in the morning after calls from the police reported she was on the road’s edge and in danger of being run over. RK13 was reported today to be hauled out on the east side.
6. With 77 reported sightings, sub-adult, four-year-old male RG22 ranks sixth. He was born to RK22 on the north shore but quickly made his way to the south shore, hanging out with the boys on the south shore. Once, he was photographed wearing a pair of swim goggles around his neck. Luckily, they fell off after a couple days. He was last reported on the south shore on October 10th but has since started to wander and was recently sighted off Hawaii Island.
7. With 73 reported sightings, mature female RK30 ranks seventh. She’s approximately 21 years old and has given birth to 11 known pups, including RL30 this year. She was last seen on November 8th at Mahaulepu.
8. With 68 reported sightings, one-year-old female RKA2 ranks eighth. She was born on a remote beach along Na Pali Coast in 2018 to RK30. She was last reported on December 20th on the east side.
9. With 62 reported sightings, eight-year-old female RK52 ranks ninth. Her sightings are bolstered by two things: she weaned her first pup this year, and she was reported molting. RK52 favors north shore beaches. She was born to RH58 and was last reported on a north shore beach on December 22nd.
10. With 58 reported sightings, three-year-old female R1NS rounds out our top ten list. She was flipper-tagged on the east side in 2017 and is notable for her natural bleach marks on the first three digits of her left fore flipper. She was last sighted on the north shore on December 29th.

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Field Report: October 2019

Monthly Update: The Kauai team logged 258 seal sightings this month. This included 36 individually identified seals.

October: 258
September: 203
August: 324
July: 239
June: 179
May: 262
April: 348
March: 350
Feb: 303
Jan: 284

New:

• A new juvenile male seal was flipper tagged on the South Shore by the Kauai team. The seal’s ID is R1NI.
• Very pregnant AF R8HE spent two weeks on a North Shore beach. This seal is usually on Maui and Hawaii Island, and pupped on Maui in 2018. She has moved back to Oahu since. Her predicted pupping date was Nov 9.
• The annual monk seal count day occurred on Oct 19^th. Kauai had the most seals with 20 seals reported before noon. Three more seals hauled out later the day for a total of 23 different seals sighted on Kauai that day. The statewide (from Kauai to BI) total count was 50 seals.

Updates:

• PK6 born at Milolii in September is male, the mother is R400, the same female that has pupped at Milolii in Sept the past 2 years. The pup weaned on approximately Oct 31, resulting in 41-day nursing period. Tour boats and kayak companies are providing updates.
• S/F R7AA was seen with a small lump under the left jaw line on 8/31/19, it was possibly a small abscess. The seal was re-sighted on 10/21/19 in good health with no obvious abscesses on the jaw line.
• RH38, the seal rehabbed at KKO and released in July, continues to thrive on the North Shore.
• All of the 6 pups born this year have been sighted recently and continue to thrive.
• Displacements: A/F RK13 was displaced from the road edge at Fuji Beach, Kapaa at 3:00 am after calls from the police that the seal was on the road edge and in danger of being run over.
• Molting: 3 seals molted this month.
• Vaccinations: No vaccinations given this month.
• Bleach marking: Two seals were bleach marked this month, both are new untagged seals.

Research/Support of PIFSC:

• Sub-sampled scat, molt, and tissue plug samples accordingly.
• Logged all seal sightings for PIFSC database. Organized photos and reported sightings, molt tallies, survival factors to send to PIFSC.

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Monk Seal Monday #53: The Numbers Are In.

PC: G. Langley

The numbers are in.

Last week, a couple days after weaning, PK1 was flipper-tagged. He is now known as RL08. His left flipper tag reads L08, and his right reads L09.

PC: G. Langley

At the same time he was tagged, RL08 also received his initial vaccination to protect against morbillivirus. (Click here to learn more about the Hawaiian monk seal vaccination program.)

Too, Kauai’s newest weaner was measured—both in length and girth. As suspected, RL08 set some recent records.

The hefty weaner measured 145 centimeters in length—from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. His girth—the widest part of his body just below his fore flippers—rolled in at a ridiculous 143 centimeters. Basically, he’s almost as big around as he is long.

PC: G. Langley

But how do those numbers compare?

For a variety of reasons, not all weaners get measured. However, the average length of 14 weaners (not including RL08) over the past six years, equaled 130.5 centimeters. The average girth of those same 14 weaners equaled 114.85 centimeters.

Let me repeat: RL08’s length came in at 145 centimeters and his girth at 143 centimeters.

He’s a big boy.

Based on the photos (thanks again, Gary), we knew that, right?

PC: G. Langley

In some other good news, RK13’s pup from last year—RK42, who was last sighted the day she had a fishing hook removed from mouth on July 28—popped up last week on the southeast side of the island look quite healthy herself. What a relief.

RK42 proves that bigger doesn’t always equate to weaner survival. She was a fairly small weaner, measuring 126 centimeters in length and 100 centimeters around her girth when she was tagged last year. Go RK42!

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