International cooperation for the Mediterranean monk seal

Who could forget the incredible excitement of receiving the first documented sighting of a monk seal in Israel?

This historic moment happened in 2010, after decades of absence and when hope among researchers of ever seeing a monk seal off the Israeli coast was nearly lost.

The Return of the Mediterranean Monk Seal

Before the establishment of the State of Israel, sightings of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) were more common along the country’s shores. Reports of individual seals, particularly off Rosh Hanikra and Tantura (Dor-Habonim), were recorded as early as the 1920s but ceased in the 1960s. Nearly 50 years passed without a single sighting, and only a decade ago, the Mediterranean monk seal was officially classified as critically endangered, ranking among the 12 rarest marine mammals in the world.

At that time, the global population was estimated at just 500 individuals—a dangerously low number for a species with a slow reproductive rate (females give birth to a single pup only once every 2-3 years). Conservation models predicted a more than 50% probability of extinction within three generations.

However, against all odds, the Mediterranean monk seal population has grown and is now estimated at around 700 individuals, with approximately 400 residing along the coasts of Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey.

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The First Sightings in Decades

In 2010, reports began to emerge of monk seals appearing in locations where they had not been seen for decades—Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. That year, Israel received its first-ever documented sighting of a Mediterranean monk seal: a young female resting in a crevice in the Herzliya Marina breakwater.

Just ten days later, another individual—presumably a male—was spotted during a stormy day near the Rosh Hanikra grottos, at Israel’s northernmost border. These sightings became the foundation of a growing database, which has since recorded over 90 monk seal observations along Israel’s coast, from Ashkelon to Rosh Hanikra.

Photo analyses indicate that at least three different individuals have visited Israeli waters. One of them, the female later named "Maya", has been sighted five times at Rosh Hanikra.

Regional Monitoring and Cross-Border Sightings

Around the same time as the Israeli reports, monk seal sightings began resurfacing in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Libya. In Lebanon, a pregnant female in an advanced stage of gestation was documented, confirming active reproduction in the region.

Previously, researchers classified the regions where monk seals appeared into two categories:

1. Countries where breeding populations were confirmed.

2. Countries where seals were only seen sporadically.

However, years of monitoring in the Levantine Basin and Ionian Sea have led to new conclusions: monk seals from the core populations of Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey are recolonizing former habitats.

For example, a monk seal identified in 2009 in Mersin, Turkey, was **documented again in 2020 in Lebanon—**a journey of approximately 300 km. Similarly, Maya, the monk seal observed in Israel, has been repeatedly sighted north of Beirut since spring 2020.

These findings emphasize the critical importance of improved communication between the various organizations researching Mediterranean monk seals.

A Regional Effort for Monk Seal Conservation

In 2021, Delphis NGO partnered with leading research organizations to monitor and protect the Mediterranean monk seal. This collaborative initiative includes:

• IUCN – coordinating observations and leading the project from Lebanon

• MOM, Archipelagos, HCMR (Greece)

• METO, SAD-AFAG (Turkey)

• SPOT, Enalia (Cyprus)

• CBD-Habitat (Spain)

• Delphis and the University of Haifa (Israel)

The project is funded by the Monk Seal Alliance, an international coalition supporting monk seal conservation.

Key Objectives of the Project

• Monitoring monk seal populations to expand scientific knowledge and mitigate threats.

• Providing data to authorities for better protection policies and conservation strategies.

• Enhancing collaboration between organizations to improve research methods and conservation tools.

Conservation Efforts in Israel

In Israel, efforts have focused on:

• Completing a habitat survey (initiated in 2015) to identify potential resting and pupping sites.

• Installing infrared cameras at selected locations, triggered by heat and motion sensors, to detect monk seals.

• Expanding the network for reporting seal sightings.

• Raising public awareness about the importance of protecting monk seals and their habitats.

A New Approach: Social Communication as a Research Tool

In addition to the regional monitoring project, Delphis is also involved in an international study exploring social communication among monk seals. This research aims to evaluate whether social interactions can serve as a non-invasive method for tracking and studying the species.

Why Did the Mediterranean Monk Seal Almost Disappear?

Historically, the Mediterranean monk seal thrived along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the Atlantic shores of North Africa, including the Canary Islands, Madeira, and Cape Verde.

From the Roman era until the 1940s, humans extensively hunted monk seals for oil, meat, fur, and leather. Fishermen also deliberately killed seals, considering them a threat to their catch and fishing gear.

Even today, intentional and accidental entanglements in fishing nets remain one of the primary threats to the species. Other major risks include:

• Overfishing – reducing their natural food supply

• Coastal development and tourism – leading to habitat destruction, particularly secluded caves used for pupping

• Pollution and toxins – accumulating heavy metals and chemicals that weaken immune systems, reduce fertility, and lower survival rates of pups

Monk seals are apex predators, playing a crucial role in maintaining marine ecosystem balance. Their return to the eastern Mediterranean after decades of absence highlights the urgent need for the establishment of marine protected areas, allowing for the natural recovery of the species.

Mediterranean Monk Seal: Species Profile

• Scientific Name: Monachus monachus

• Family: Phocidae (true seals)

• Size: 2-3 meters (6.5-10 feet)

• Weight: Up to 400 kg (880 lbs)

• Newborns: ~90 cm long (~35 inches), weighing ~20 kg (44 lbs)

• Coloration: Varies from black (newborns) to gray-white (adults). The most common pattern is dark brown backs with lighter grayish-white bellies.

Why is it called a "monk" seal?

The seal’s fur coloration resembles the robes of Franciscan monks, giving it its monastic name.

Adapted to Warm Waters

Unlike most seals that thrive in cold environments, the Mediterranean monk seal is unique in its adaptation to tropical and subtropical seas, where summer water temperatures can reach 29°C (84°F).

Diet and Hunting Behavior

• Diet: Fish (eels, sardines, tuna, sole, mullets), octopuses, and squids

• Daily intake: About 5% of body weight

• Preferred hunting time: High tide

Reproduction

• Sexual maturity: 4-6 years

• Mating season: Fall (October-November)

• Gestation: ~11 months

• Pupping locations: Caves with underwater entrances

• Nursing period: 16-17 weeks

The return of the Mediterranean monk seal is a conservation success story in progress. Continued efforts are essential to ensure the species’ survival.