TRAINING MODULE ABOUT HAWAIIAN MONK SEALS

Project: Develop a training module about how to prevent the development of "problem" Hawaiian monk seals for volunteers and community presentations. STATEMENT OF WORK Background or Problem Statement NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office's (PIRO) Protected Resources Division (PRD) is dedicated to protecting and recovering endangered and threatened species of sea turtles, monk seals and cetaceans as mandated by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Through management, conservation and recovery efforts; and public outreach and education, the PRD strives to ensure the recovery and survival of the protected marine species of the Pacific Islands Region for future generations. Currently, the Hawaiian monk seal is a high priority for PRD management efforts. The Hawaiian monk seal population is in a crisis situation with the current estimated total number of seals at approximately 1,200 individuals, declining at a rate of 4.1% per year. These animals inhabit the entire Hawaiian archipelago. Threats to the monk seals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands include food limitation, entanglement in marine debris, and shark predation, among other factors. Seals do not appear to lack food in the main Hawaiian Islands, yet face additional threats including many human-related impacts, such as disturbance to rest or pupping; feeding or "provisioning" which leads to a change in the natural behavior of the seal; hooking, and entanglement. Human disturbance to Hawaiian monk seals is a common threat in the populated main Hawaiian Islands since both humans and seals spend time along the coast, both on land and in the water. The Hawaiian monk seal spends one-third of its life on land to rest, pup (give birth), nurse their young and molt. Specific terrestrial habitats include sandy beaches and emergent reef substrates. After spending many hours expending energy searching for food off shore, the monk seal hauls-out of the water to rest. Hawaiian monk seals also pup and nurse their young on land. A mother seal and her pup spends approximately seven weeks on land before the pup is weaned, occasionally wandering to nearby shallow water during this time. A Hawaiian monk seal will also haul-out for an average of two weeks when it goes through its yearly molt. In all of these instances, there is the possibility of human interaction when humans cross paths with the seals while they are hauled-out of the water. Many beachgoers are unaware that these hauled-out seals are critically endangered, a native species, and need their rest and space. The seals also can become aggressive if approached too closely, particularly when a mother feels the need to defend her pup. Past experience has also demonstrated that when a monk seal pup is raised in an area with high human presence, there is a good chance that the pup will seek out humans after it is weaned. Seals have also been known to seek out humans, or become "friendly," after they are fed by humans, or "provisioned." Two of these "friendly" seals have had to be moved away from populated areas because they became a threat to human safety. Finally, those beach goers who are also dog owners often do not comply with the state leash law and put hauled-out monk seals, and their dogs, at risk. Dogs and seals have also been known to transfer diseases. Human disturbance of the Hawaiian monk seal also may occur in the water. Seals that are "friendly" or conditioned to people, will continue to be so if humans reinforce their behaviors. Behaviors are reinforced when divers, snorkelers and swimmers continue to visit certain areas frequented by monk seals and closely observe and "play" with the seals, petting and swimming with these seals. When the 400-600 pound seal engages in its own kind of "play" by blocking a swimmer's exit from the water, or grabbing and pushing a swimmer down in the water, it might lead to human injury or even drowning. These "friendly" seals will then have to be removed from populated areas, possibly placing them in an area less suitable for survival. In short, there is a lack of understanding among those that interact with seals in the water that their seemingly harmless actions have an impact on the Hawaiian monk seal population and the recovery of the species. The PRD works with various partners and stakeholders to create outreach messages, brochures and signs for the public concerning the Hawaiian monk seal. However, it has proven difficult to create a thorough understanding about how seemingly harmless interactions with monk seals, particularly with seals just after they have weaned until they are about two years old, can lead to serious problems for seals and humans. One example of a seal that became conditioned to being around humans is R042, a female seal that was born on a crowded beach and had exposure to human presence since birth. She was fed by spear fishermen and interacted with swimmers, surfers, beach users, and boats in harbors. After two years of costly and resource intensive management mitigation, four relocations within the main Hawaiian Islands, and countless media and outreach efforts, it was determined that it was in the best interest of public safety and the welfare of the seal that she be relocated to the remote, unpopulated island of Nihoa. The case of R042 demonstrates the significant cost and effort associated with managing seals that have become conditioned to seek out interactions with humans. The project described in this statement of work is intended to help address this problem through the development of an educational tool that can effectively enhance public understanding of the problem and how it can be prevented. Objectives and Scope The objectives of this project are: 1. Prevention of "problem" seals (Hawaiian monk seals that become conditioned to seek out human interaction) by effective communication and training of volunteers and local communities 2. Development and maintenance of consistent educational messages for volunteers and local communities regarding specific Hawaiian monk seal behaviors and how to prevent "problem" seals The scope of this project will entail working collaboratively with PRD staff and partners to develop an effective learning module to educate volunteers and local community members regarding wild animal behavior and how human interactions with Hawaiian monk seals can adversely alter natural seal behavior and have long-term negative impacts on the survival of individual seals, the overall seal population, and public safety. The work will entail meeting and communicating frequently with PRD staff and partners while developing and integrating effective training materials with textual, audio and visual elements for a diverse target audience. Tasks The Contractor shall perform the following tasks: Develop a an effective learning module to educate volunteers and local community members about how certain human interactions with Hawaiian monk seals may have long-term impacts to the population and the survival of the species as well as put humans in danger. The Contractor shall develop and deliver a learning module that includes easy to understand descriptions of Hawaiian monk seal behaviors, including explanations of the reasons why behaviors are misunderstood, and what the behaviors really mean in terms of wild animal behavioral science. The Contractor shall develop and deliver a learning module that explains and demonstrates with textual, visual and audio elements how human interactions adversely change wild monk seal behavior and the adverse consequences of the behavioral changes. The module shall include, but not be limited to, explanations of wildlife "conditioning," "habituation," and "provisioning." The learning module shall also use common scenarios that the target audience can relate to, highlighting human interactions with newly weaned pups, human-seal interactions while fishing, and human-seal interactions while swimming and diving. The module should be in a format that can be easily accessible via the internet. The module may include some basic video content, such as short segments produced with inexpensive and simple production techniques, but video content is not expected to be the primary communication element utilized in the module. The training module should be 20-30 minutes in length. The Contractor shall also: ? Ensure that the learning module includes an evaluative element, such as a pre- and post-test. ? Develop learning module drafts, storyboards, and a test pilot for PRD review; based on the content developed in consultation with PRD subject matter experts. ? Meet at least once per week with PRD staff to discuss feedback on learning module drafts, storyboards, and pilot test. ? Incorporate feedback from PRD into drafts, storyboards, and pilot test. ? Finalize the learning module based on the changes determined by PRD after the pilot test. ? Describe methods by which the final module can be best delivered to target audiences. Deliverables 1. First, second and final drafts of learning module content description. 2. First, second and final drafts of learning module story boards. 3. Pilot learning module for testing. 4. Final learning module with accompanying materials. 5. Presentation of the final learning module for the Pacific Islands Regional staff at the Honolulu office upon completion. Period of Performance The period of performance for this project is expected to be nine months (~ 270 days), beginning on the date of contract award: Phase Days after contract award Deliverable Phase 1: Learning module content development 63 days Finalized learning module content description Phase 2: Learning module story board development 126 days Finalized learning module story board Phase 3: Pilot learning module development and testing 252 days Pilot learning module Phase 4: Revise and finalize learning module 270 days Final learning module and accompanying materials Information Security in Acquisitions Data supplied for and produced by this contract is not privileged and the level of security required is low. The C&A requirements of clause 73 do not apply and a Security Accreditation Package is not required.