By Spencer Showalter

For this week’s dose of #OceanOptimism, let’s fly across the Pacific to meet Hawaii’s state marine mammal: the Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi)! This charismatic animal is the oldest seal species on the planet—evidence indicates that they have lived on the Hawaiian islands for several million years. Unfortunately, they’re also one of the most endangered marine mammal species in the world. Presently, their population is estimated at about 1,400 seals, which comes out to about 30% of historic estimates for the species. Between 1950 and 2013 the species declined continuously due to a number of forces, including food limitations, shark predation, and most importantly, humans. Fishermen leave behind marine debris and inactive fishing nets, which lead to potentially fatal entanglement. Tourists take over beaches where monk seals historically hauled out to rest, escape predation, and raise young. Finally, beachgoers often feed monk seals, which can be dangerous to the seal and limit their capacity to learn to hunt for themselves.

So, what about that #OceanOptimism? Well, since 2013 their population has been gradually increasing, an encouraging trend that has been assisted by the continuous intervention of rescue teams from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The Hawaiian monk seal is only found in Hawaii. However, members of their order—pinnipeds—are found all over the world, and include harbor seals, sea lions, and walruses. While the Hawaiian monk seal is among the more vulnerable in this group, many have still needed human help to support their populations. The largest marine mammal hospital in the world is located in California, where rescue and rehabilitation work that is done for the local pinnipeds is carried out by a non-governmental organization called The Marine Mammal Center. This Center is run by a core staff and more than 1,200 trained, dedicated volunteers. They take in several hundred animals every year, give them expert veterinary care, and release them back into the wild, happy and healthy.

For more than a decade, The Marine Mammal Center has been flying out teams of vets, technicians, and trained volunteers from California to Hawaii to help with the Hawaiian monk seal rescue efforts. However, providing the support that monk seals need has been difficult without a dedicated facility.

To overcome this barrier, The Marine Mammal Center managed to raise 3.2 million dollars and broke ground in Kona to build  Kei Kai Ola, a dedicated hospital and visitor center for Hawaiian monk seals, and a massive step in the recovery process for the Hawaiian monk seal population. Two years later, Kei Kai Ola opened its doors to its first two patients, and has since cared for and released 23 monk seals—nearly 2% of the entire monk seal population! Charles Littnan, the lead scientist for NOAA’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program, said that the new center gives “pups a better shot at survival and adult seals a second chance when they need it!” and that it “is an essential part of [the] plan for their survival.”

The new facility provides scientifically-based rehabilitation and highly trained veterinary care to struggling animals. Kei Kai Ola’s staff is also working with the local community to inspire the future conservation of monk seals—it has a volunteer base made up of locals and conducts community outreach efforts to schools and the public as a whole encourage the community to fight for the future of the species.

With the ongoing efforts of the new facility, the concerted effort of NOAA’s research team, and support and engagement of the Hawaiian public, the monk seal’s population has been rising—and with it, the tide of #OceanOptimism.