Survery for Commercial Tour Operators

Hawaiian Monk Seal

Ilio holo ikauaua

Public Opinion Survey

Survey for Commercial Tour Operators

Your participation in this survey is voluntary. Any material that might identify you will be destroyed at the end of the study.

OMB Control #: XXXX-XXXX

Expiration Date: xx/xx/xxxx

Throughout this survey all references to monk seals mean Hawaiian monk seals.

1. Have your clients ever reported observing a monk seal in the wild while on one of your tours in Hawai‘i (outside of zoos and aquaria)?

	Yes (Go to Q 2)
	No (Go to Q 4)

2. If clients have reported observing monk seals during tours, how often in the past year has this happened?

1 time

2-5 times

6-10 times

More than 10 times

3. If clients have reported observing a monk seal in the wild while on one of your tours, where? (Check all that apply)

	Seal was on the beach
	Seal was in the water
	Client was on the beach
	Client was in the water (swimming, snorkeling, diving, etc.)
	Client was on a commercial tour
	Client was in a personal /non-commercial boat or other type of watercraft
	Don’t know
	Other (Please describe)____________________

4. Do you make a point of trying to locate monk seals for your clients to view?

	Yes
	No

5. Do you discuss information about monk seals with your clients?

Never

Rarely

Only when they ask, or we see monk seals

With many clients

With every client

WHAT DO PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT MONK SEALS?

6. What is your level of knowledge about the Hawaiian monk seal?

No knowledge

Small amount

Average amount

Large amount

7. Do you think monk seals are native to the Hawaiian Islands?

	Yes
	No
	Not sure

8. Do you think the population of Hawaiian monk seals in general has been increasing or decreasing over the past twenty years?

Significant decrease

Slight decrease

Stable (neither increasing nor decreasing)

Slight increase

Significant increase

Not sure

Hawaiian monk seals are legally protected under Federal and State laws.

9. Prior to this survey, were you aware of any legal protections in place for the Hawaiian monk seal?

	Yes (Go to Q 10)
	No (Go to Q 11)

10. How well do you think the monk seal is protected under current regulations?

Not at all protected

Protected, but not enough

Well protected

Over protected

Not sure

11. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Protection of the Hawaiian monk seal is NOT very important because there are many types of seals throughout the world.

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Agree

Strongly agree

Not sure

12. Are you familiar with the Endangered Species Act?

	Never heard of it (Go to Q 14)
	Heard of it, but don’t know much about it
	Somewhat familiar
	Very familiar

13. Do you think that violations of the Endangered Species Act are regularly enforced?

	Yes
	No
	Not sure

HUMAN-MONK SEAL INTERACTIONS

14. People have different opinions about what is considered appropriate behavior around wildlife. Which of the following, if any, do you consider appropriate behavior regarding monk seals? (Mark all that apply)

	Viewing monk seals from 100 ft away
	Viewing monk seals from 10 ft away
	Approaching monk seals within 10 ft on land
	Touching monk seals
	Feeding monk seals
	Swimming close to monk seals
	Shooting at or around monk seals
	Photographing monk seals
	Fishing around monk seals
	Yelling, or making other very loud noises around monk seals
	Trying to scare monk seals away
	Allowing dogs to approach and/or interact with monk seals

15. Do you think it is dangerous for people to approach monk seals on land?

	Yes, for the person only
	Yes, for the seal only
	Yes, for both the person and the seal
	No, if the seal is used to being around people
	No, I think it is safe
	Depends on the situation
	Don’t know / Not sure

16. Do you think it is dangerous for people to swim with or be in close contact in the water with monk seals?

	Yes, for the person only
	Yes, for the seal only
	Yes, for both the person and the seal
	No, if the seal is used to being around people
	No, I think it is safe
	Depends on the situation
	Don’t know / Not sure

17. If a client told you that they saw a monk seal while on a tour, would you be likely to report it?

	Yes
	No
	Not sure
	Other (Please describe) _____________________

18. Do you know which authorities to report monk seal sightings to?

	Yes (Please describe) ______________________
	No

19. Have clients ever reported encountering a monk seal while they were doing activities in the water while on your tour?

	Yes (Go to Q 20)
	No (Go to Q 21)
	Not sure (Go to Q 20)
	Doesn’t apply (Go to Q 21)

20. If clients have reported encountering monk seals while in the water on your tour, how often has it happened in the past year?

1 time

2-5 times

6-10 times

More than 10 times

21. Are clients given any instruction on what to do if they encounter monk seals, either in the water or on the beach?

	Yes
	No
	Only if we think they are likely to encounter one
	Only if we know they are likely to encounter one
	Other __________________________

22. If a client reported encountering a live monk seal tangled in a net, what would you suggest? (Mark all that apply)

	Do nothing
	The client should try to cut it free
	Myself or my staff should try to cut it free
	The client should call the authorities
	Myself or my staff should call the authorities
	Don’t know/Not sure
	Other (Please describe) _____________________

FISHING AND MONK SEALS

23. Do clients on any of your tours engage in fishing?

	Yes (Go to Q 24)
	No (Go to Q 29)

24. Do you think that if monk seals are present in an area where your clients are fishing, less fish are caught?

	Yes
	No
	Not sure
	Other (Please describe) _____________________

25. Do you think that if the number of monk seals increases, your clients would catch less fish?

	Yes
	No
	Not sure
	Other (Please describe) _____________________

26. If clients were fishing and a monk seal became hooked on a fishing line how would you likely respond? (Mark all that apply)

	Cut the line
	Try to get the hook free in some way
	Call the authorities
	Try to scare it away
	Don’t know/Not sure
	Other (Please describe) _____________________

27. Would you be willing to provide hooks without barbs to clients who fish in order to reduce the possibility of hooks becoming stuck in the mouths of monk seals?

	Yes
	No
	Only if required by law
	Only in areas where monk seals are present
	Not sure

28. Do believe that using hooks without barbs would affect fish catch?

	Yes
	No
	Only for certain types of fish
	Not sure

People have various opinions about whether fishing should be regulated to protect monk seals.

29. Do you agree or disagree that regulations for recreational hook and line fishing in the main Hawaiian Islands should be enacted SPECIFICALLY to reduce or prevent monk seals from becoming hooked?

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly agree

Not sure

RESTRICTING HUMAN ACTIVITY AROUND MONK SEALS

30. Do you think certain human activities should be prohibited around monk seals?

	Yes (Go to Q 31)
	No (Go to Q 32)
	Not sure (Go to Q 31)

31. Do you think that any of the following human activities should be prohibited in the known presence of monk seals? (Mark all that apply)

	Beach going		Fishing with nets
	Swimming		Boating (motor)
	Surfing		Jet skis/Personal watercraft
	Snorkeling and / or Diving		Water skiing, parasailing and other motorized towing activities
	Kayaking		Other_____________________________
	Spear fishing		None of the activities listed should be prohibited.
	Fishing with hook and line

When monk seals haul out onto beaches that people frequent, an area around the monk seal is often roped off to ensure people do not try to get too close.

32. Do you agree with current practice of closing a portion of the beach surrounding monk seals when they are present?

	Yes
	No
	Not sure
	Other (Please describe) _____________________

Female monk seals select a site to give birth, usually the same each year, and nurse their newborn pup for five to seven weeks. During this time the mother usually remains on land without eating.

33. Do you think it is appropriate to close sections of beach areas that are heavily used by mother monk seals to human activity during the height of the birthing season (March & April)?

	Yes
	No
	Only when a mother and pup are present
	Not sure

34. If small areas of beach you visit were blocked off from all human activity during periods of the monk seal birthing season, would you consider this a hardship?

	Yes
	No
	Only in certain instances (Please describe) _________________________________
	Not sure

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

35. How did you learn what to do or what not to do when encountering monk seals? (Mark all that apply).

	I don’t have any knowledge about what to do when encountering monk seals
	Internet
	Television
	Newspaper
	Magazines
	Radio
	Aquarium or zoo
	Word of mouth (e.g., from friends and family)
	From school – (learned it yourself, or learned it from a child who learned it in school)
	From Federal programs (such as NOAA)
	From State programs (such as Division of Aquatic Resources)
	From law enforcement agents
	From lifeguards
	Other (Please describe) _____________________

36. How effective do you think each of the following methods would be to help clients learn about wild monk seal conservation issues? (Mark one number for each category)

	Not at all effective	Somewhat effective	Very effective	Not sure
Educational brochures and pamphlets provided to the clients	1	2	3	0
Personal presentations given to the clients	1	2	3	0
Showing videos to the clients	1	2	3	0
Print materials (e.g. posters) displayed where they could be viewed by the clients	1	2	3	0
Posting information on social media (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter) for clients	1	2	3	0

37. Do you have any other suggestions on ways to inform and educate people about monk seal conservation issues?

38. Would one of the signs below, if placed near a monk seal, be likely to convince your clients not to disturb the seal?

	Yes (If yes, please mark the one that would work best)
	No
	Not sure (If not sure, please mark the sign you prefer)
	Both signs would be equally effective

39. Would you be likely to provide or display educational materials to your clients about monk seals if they were provided free of charge?

	Yes
	No
	Not sure
	Other _______________________

40. Would you be willing to participate in a training/educational workshop for commercial tour operators regarding monk seal issues, what activities can be conducted around monk seals without disturbing them, and methods of communicating conservation information to clients?

	Yes
	No
	Not sure

41. Would you be likely to participate in a one-day, semi-annual state wide monk seal count that takes place every April and October?

	Yes
	No
	Not sure
	Other_______________________

DEMOGRAPHICS

The following demographic information will be used to help make general conclusions about the survey participants. Any personal information will be destroyed at the end of the study.

42. Which statement best describes the majority of your clients.

	Permanent resident of Hawai‘i
	Part time residents of Hawai‘i
	Visitors to Hawai‘i

43. What type of water activities do your clients engage in? (Mark all that apply)

	Diving
	Snorkeling
	Fishing
	Swimming
	Surfing
	Boogie boarding
	Kite surfing
	Wind surfing
	Lounging on the beach
	Other (Please describe) ______________________

44. What is the highest level of education you have attained?

	Some high school or less
	High school diploma or equivalent
	Some college, no degree
	Two year degree (AA, AS) or technical school
	Four year college graduate (BA, BS)
	Some graduate work but did not receive a graduate degree
	Graduate degree (MA, MS, PhD, JD, MD, etc.)

Mahalo for taking the time to complete this survey. Your participation is greatly appreciated! Please use the space below to provide any additional comments.

This survey is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated at 20 minutes, including time for reviewing instructions, answering all questions and returning the survey to the administrator. Please send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other suggestions for reducing this burden to Jennifer Metz, National Marine Fisheries Service, Outreach and Education Specialist, Protected Resources Division, NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Regional Office, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814-0047. All responses will be protected and will not be released for public use except in aggregate statistical form (and without providing and personally identifying characteristics). Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.