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Mrr os y4 <br />~-~ ~ ' , <br />. ~Je~~ <br />COUNTY OF HAWAII •s~ ?• STATE OF HAWAII <br />~'~% o.~M~"' <br />RESOLUTION NO. '743 n~ <br />A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE PROTECTION AND RECOVERY OF THE <br />OFFICIAL HAWAII STATE MAMMAL; THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED <br />ENDEMIC HAWAIIAN MONK SEAL. <br />WHEREAS, the Hawaiian Monk Seal, Monachus schauinslandi, is a critically <br />endangered seal that is endemic to the waters off the Hawaiian Islands and was known to the <br />native Hawaiians as `Ilio-bolo-i-ka-uaua, or "dog that runs in rough waters"; and <br />WHEREAS, to raise awareness for the species' plight, the Hawaiian Monk Seal was <br />declared Hawaii's official State Mammal on June 1 I, 2008, by Lieutenant Governor James <br />Aiona; and <br />WHEREAS, the Hawaiian Monk Seal is among the most endangered species of all seals, <br />although the Mediterranean Monk Seal is even rarer, and the Caribbean Monk Seal, last sighted <br />in the 1950's, was officially declared extinct in June 2008; and <br />WHEREAS, the population of the Hawaiian Monk Seal continues to decline, currently <br />estimated at only 1,200 worldwide; and <br />WHEREAS, human and environmental factors such as habitat loss, competition for food <br />supply, marine debris entanglement, disease, shark predation, and climate change have <br />contributed to the species' decline; and <br />WHEREAS, Hawaiian Monk Seals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act <br />(MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the latter having listed the Hawaiian Monk <br />Seal endangered in 1976; and <br />WHEREAS, the MMPA and ESA protect the species and the ecosystems upon which <br />they depend, and individuals harming, harassing, taking or killing these animals are subject to <br />fines of up to $50,000; and <br />WHEREAS, these laws require that governmental agencies take action to prevent this <br />species from going extinct; and <br />WHEREAS, most of the Hawaiian Monk Seal population exists in the Northwest <br />Hawaiian Island (NWHI) where the seals are rapidly declining; and <br />WHEREAS, there are 100-150 seals found in the Main Hawaiian Islands and this <br />subpopulation is increasing; and <br />