Species Listing

Endangered

The species was first listed as endangered in 1976 under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA outlines that it is illegal to take any animal listed, with take meaning “to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, collect, or attempt to engage” (Chandler, 2015). The species is also protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which was passed in 1972, as well as under State of Hawaii Law (NOAA, n.d.). The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List has continued to assess the Monk Seal and on November 18, 2014, the species was once again categorized as endangered. These legislations and lists provide important overall protection to Monk Seals and other endangered species because it makes people aware of the threat to their existence.