Box 9BB Monk seal

Monk seal, Isla Sporadi Settentrionali, Greece

Source: F Di Domenico, WWF


The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) has, since 1984, been listed by the World Conservation Union as one of the world's ten most endangered mammal species (IUCN, 1990a). Usually known for being an abundant species, the monk seal's range once extended from the Black Sea through the whole Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean around Madeira, the Canary Islands, and the northwest coasts of Africa as far south as Senegal. Habitats are the rocky coasts with sea-caves, used for both resting and reproduction. The most favourable caves have an underwater entrance and a pebble or sandy beach out of the reach of the waves.

Today, only fragmentary and small populations still remain, and there are only two viable Mediterranean populations of the monk seal, in the Aegean and Adriatic seas, and it is predicted that by the beginning of the next century only the former will remain. One other viable population of about 120 animals is found on the Atlantic coast of Morocco and Mauritania (Council of Europe, 1992b; IRSNB, 1993). The major reason for this decline is killing ­ deliberate and accidental ­ mostly by fishermen who perceive the species as a competitor. Other factors are the loss of undisturbed habitats due to coastal development, and lack of food resources linked to overfishing and pollution of the seas. The threat by fishermen appears to have played a dominant role in the decline of the species, except perhaps along the southern shores of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The world population is now probably fewer than 500 individuals and numbers throughout the Mediterranean are still declining. The EU has recently funded a major programme of research and conservation on this species which aims to identify and establish a network of protected areas throughout the Member States and to improve public awareness, and the feasibility of breeding in captivity.