Mediterranean monk seals: threats

Losing their homes and going hungry

Nowhere to live
Mediterranean monk seals prefer to live on quiet coastlines away from human disturbance. As the Mediterreanean coast has become more and more built up, the seals have lost more and more of their habitat.

The formerly quiet coasts of Greece and Turkey - where the seals are now restricted to - are seeing massive coastal development as well as the growth of intensive tourism. These human pressures are further reducing the available habitat for monk seals.

In some areas, unscrupulous dive operators have begun to take tourists illegally into monk seal caves, causing the animals to leave the area. Illegal diving operations in Turkey include those in the towns of Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye, Kas, and Alanya.

Going hungry
Overfishing is a serious problem for monk seals, leaving them without enough food. This not only leads to starvation, but also reduces their breeding success. The main cause of depleted fish stocks in the Mediterranean is trawling in shallow coastal waters and other large-scale industrial fishing. Illegal gear and practices, such as dynamite fishing, have also contributed to the problem.

Retaliatory killings
The reduced fish stocks put the seals in direct competition with local fishermen, who are also suffering from the depleted fish stocks. Monk seals will take fish from fishermen's nets, and angry fishermen will shoot the seals in retaliation.

In addition, young monk seals are particularly susceptible to entanglement and drowning in fishing nets set near the caves that form their home in their first 6 months of life.

Polluted waters
Pollution from oil tankers, other shipping, and agricultural and domestic run off is a problem throughout the Mediterranean and is likely to be having an negative effect on monk seals. Pollution is also a contributing factor to depleted fish stocks.