And, as the lobsters go, so go the monk seals. This reasoning is at the heart of a recent lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service brought by three environmental groups - Greenpeace Foundation, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Turtle Island Restoration Network.
Lobsters play a key role in the seals' natural diet, the environmental groups argue.
Overfishing of lobsters has left lobster populations in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in a depleted state, and this, they say, has had dire results for the seals. Pending the preparation of an environmental impact statement for the fishery and NMFS' full compliance with the Endangered Species Act, the groups are seeking an injunction on all lobster fishing in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. At its most recent meeting in Honolulu, which concluded in March, the council voted to recommend keeping the fishery open. In addition, it voted to retain a private attorney to defend the council's interests in lawsuits brought by non-governmental groups, even though the council is not a party to the litigation. A hearing on a preliminary injunction to ban lobster fishing is scheduled to be heard before Judge Samuel P. King in U.S. District Court, April 21.