ハワイ旅行･ホテル･ショッピング･グルメ･求人

The Hawaiian monk seal, familiarly known as “azarashi” in Japanese aquariums, currently only lives in the oceans surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. However, the monk seal population is rapidly declining every year, and is on the verge of extinction.

In order to avert this pending disaster, many researchers, scientists, and volunteers are working together to save the monk seals. While it is often said that the main cause for the decline in population is human related, there are natural causes as well. One such cause is the existence of the monk seal's natural enemy – the Galapagos shark. Galapagos sharks live in the same warm waters as monk seals, and as a result, many monk seals fall prey to the sharks.

The Hawaiian monk seal population currently stands at about 1200 – no matter where in the world you search, only these 1200 remain. For the seals, surviving human intervention is only the first step – they still have a natural enemy threatening their lives.

As mentioned earlier, the monk seal's natural enemy is the Galapagos shark. The sharks a menace to the seals, and are killing many of them. It's this natural enemy that has fueled the efforts to protect the monk seals, with current plans calling for the extermination of the sharks. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, a group working to protect the monk seals, is asking for permission to kill 10 Galapagos sharks over the summer. It looks like we're in for a heated debate between Papahanaumokuakea and the State of Hawaii at this week's conference.

About 143 monk seals have been killed by Galapagos sharks, so I can clearly see how the plan to exterminate the sharks is connected to the protection of the monk seals. But America is a country with much stricter regulations regarding the protection of marine animals, such as whales and sharks, so the pros and cons of exterminating the sharks will definitely need to be considered. Whatever the outcome, I just hope we can find the answer to save the monk seals before it's too late.