Marine Mammal Research Program
The Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) conducts research on the population biology and stock status of Hawaiian monk seals and central and western Pacific cetaceans (whales and dolphins). The goals of the program are to enhance the recovery of the Hawaiian monk seal population and to obtain abundance and distribution data on the 25 species of cetaceans known to occur within the region.
Activities to accomplish these goals include:
- Long term field camps to monitor and assess Hawaiian monk seal subpopulations
- Instrumentation of seals to study foraging habits
- Monitoring health and disease parameters of seals, particularly in the Main Hawaiian Islands
- Line transect surveys from vessels to see and hear cetaceans
- Photo-identification of individual cetaceans to assess population dynamics and help track movements
- Passive acoustic monitoring of cetaceans to learn more about temporal and spatial changes in their distribution
The MMRP is also planning a captive care program to enhance survival of juvenile Hawaiian monk seals based on a recent pilot captive care study at Midway Atoll.