When community members on Maui noticed that a one-year-old male Hawaiian monk seal was losing significant weight and becoming lethargic, they raised the alarm.

“The community called through the hotline and let us know that his physical condition was not very good, and it was only a matter of four weeks that we saw him lose a little weight,” said Frankie Koethe, the Hawaiian monk. seal recovery coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“You can see it in the shape of his body. Monks should generally be quite plump, and he was really showing some thinning and we could see his ribs and his bones when he was breathing,” Koethe said.

She said the seal, known as RS52, had also become extremely lethargic. He was born last year in Lāna’i.

NOAA works to protect highly endangered species. In the case of RS52, this meant taking immediate action.

With the help of volunteers and partner agencies, staff located the seal.

“Hawaiian monk seals are already very vulnerable, and at a young age like RS52, which is only a year old, they are even more vulnerable, and it’s really because of the community that we were able to provide RS52 with the care he needed and transfer him to Ke Kai Ola Monk Seal Hospital at the Marine Mammal Center in Kona,” Koethe said.

The seal was flown aboard a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to facilities on the island of Hawaii. There, RS52 undergoes tests to determine the best care for his recovery.

The Marine Mammal Center (NOAA Fishing Permit #24359)

“We hope the end result will be a happy one, where we release him and he can go back to being a wild seal and doing his thing,” she said.

With fewer than 2,000 Hawaiian monk seals living in the state, Koethe said it’s critical to look after their health.

“Each seal is very important to the recovery of the population. There are only 1,600 left. So when we consider the recovery of the species, we pay particular attention to our young seals, who can play a major role in recovery and live a long life.

This work is bearing fruit.

“Since 2013, we have seen a population increase of about 2 to 3 percent per year,” she said.

Koethe said this is largely due to interventions such as RS52 with the help of NOAA partner agencies such as the Marine Mammal Center, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and community volunteers.

“About 30 percent of the population growth is due to the interventions we’ve done with NOAA Fisheries,” she said.

Monk seal sightings can be reported to the NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline at (888) 256-9840.