SASHA'S OPINION
Our Responsibility
After extensive research on the Hawaiian Monk Seal it is clear to me that the species MUST be saved. If the seal were to go extinct, it wouldn’t only have a major negative impact on its ecosystem, but the seal’s instrumental value and its ancient tie to Hawaiian culture would be lost and irreplaceable.
Some may disagree with this conservational point of view; such as the individuals who have been murdering Hawaiian Monk Seals on the islands of Kauai and Molokai, but in the best interest of the Hawaiian people’s reputation saving the species is optimal. The Hawaiian Islands have been coined with the unflattering term of “endangered species capital of the world.” If the conservation of the Hawaiian Monk Seal proves to be successful it can be a positive step for the Hawaiian people in redeeming themselves and brushing off their unfortunate status from an environmentalist perspective.
In terms of an ecological outlook, the conservation of the Hawaiian Monk Seal would be beneficial due to the fact that it’s one of the apex predators of the native region. Prior to the introduction of the Galapagos Shark, which is a dominant predator, the Hawaiian Monk Seal was on top of the food chain. Today, along with other sharks and larger predators, the monk seal helps to control the levels of smaller species such as crab, lobster and reef fish to keep the ecosystem in balance. The tipping of the scales from the extinction of the monk seal would be devastating and have a ripple effect on the larger ecosystem.
The Hawaiian Monk Seal is commonly referred to as an “ambassador of aloha” due to its contribution to the prosperous 11.4 billion dollar annual tourism business of the Hawaiian Islands (Tourism Helps Provide, 2010). According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in the state of Hawaii, 256 million dollars was spent in 2010 on wildlife watching activities. The Hawaiian Monk Seal should be proud of its contribution to the private capital of the inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands. Once again, from the opposing view, some say that the expense of saving the Hawaiian Monk seal is too pricy to even start conservation efforts, but the fact is that any investment may seem risky at first. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's recovery plan, 35 million dollars are needed in the first five fiscal years to save the species. In that time, the Hawaiian Islands will have already made over one billion dollars through their wildlife watching oriented businesses. Clearly the money spent in the next five years will have economic benefits for the Hawaiian Islands not only today but for future generations that may be lucky enough to still see the magnificent Hawaiian Monk Seal.
The monk seal has been integrated into Hawaiian culture for nearly 2,000 years. The seals were already residing in the Hawaiian Islands 10,000 years prior to human arrival (Monachus schauinslandi, 2013). It is our responsibility to make sure that future generations can enjoy seeing this species in the wild and benefit from all the positive impacts economically and ecologically. It is up to us, humans are the main reason for its endangerment but we can also do right and help conserve the few that are left in the wild.