Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal Population Surpasses 1,500 for the First Time in 20 Years

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The endangered Hawaiian monk seal population is growing.

According to the Associated Press, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials shared the good news last week, revealing that the Hawaiian monk seal population grew from 1,435 to 1,570 seals from 2019 through 2021. This is the first time in 20 years that the marine species' population has surpassed 1,500.

The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered seal species in the world and is only found around the Hawaiian archipelago, which includes the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, per NOAA. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are included in Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, the largest protected marine area in the United States, AP reported.

For the past 40 years, NOAA has monitored the Hawaiian monk seal population, and this recent improvement has given the agency hope that conservation efforts are working.

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"We are out there ourselves and working with partners to conduct life-saving interventions for seals, prioritizing females, which are going to go on to create the future generation of seals," Michelle Barbieri, the lead scientist at NOAA's Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program, told AP. "We're starting to really see that continued payoff of intervening to save animals' lives."

While this increase in population is promising, Barbieri said there are challenges ahead for Hawaiian monk seals.

"Climate change is definitely something that we're really worried about," Barbieri added. "We're really seeing those impacts, we're living it now. And it has real ramifications for survival for seals."

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The low-lying islands and atolls that Hawaiian monk seals call home are at risk of disappearing under rising sea levels.

Barbieri hopes that the news about the increase in wild Hawaiian monks seals encourages animal lovers to protect the Earth's oceans and the countless creatures they hold.

"If we have healthy monk seals, we know that the ecosystem that is supporting those animals is healthy and thriving," Barbieri told AP.