The Mediterranean monk seal is a critically endangered mammal species, with an estimated population of less than 25 individuals remaining in Madeira and the nearby Desertas Islands. Urgent conservation efforts are required to protect and preserve this species from extinction.
“We had a sighting just now, right here in the bay. You should make your way down as soon as possible,” says João Martins excitedly through the phone. Martins is a local diving instructor who has kindly agreed to share any monk seal sightings with us. We hop in our rental car and drive straight to Pedra D’eira beach in Caniçal. There, in the middle of the bay, just metres from a busy beach where people are enjoying their Sunday afternoon with drinks and music, we spot its short snout and large head bobbing in the water. Just as quickly as it appeared, it dives back down and disappears in the azure water. “If it stays in the bay, it should come up for its next breath of air within 12 minutes,” says Nuno Vasco Rodrigues, a marine biologist and underwater photographer who I’m on this assignment with. Having spent days on the water without any luck, we have finally seen a glimpse of our first elusive monk seal.
Monk seals, one of the world’s largest seal species, can grow up to 3 meters long and weigh up to 350 kilograms. Given that females only give birth to one pup annually, the species is particularly susceptible to extinction. Similar to other regions worldwide, sightings of monk seals around Madeira are exceptionally rare. Portuguese explorers first observed these seals in the 15th century near the Portuguese archipelago. Unfortunately, monk seals were extensively hunted for their skin and blubber. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the main threats to these mammals today include “displacement and habitat deterioration, deliberate killing by humans, and fisheries bycatch and entanglement.”