in the 19th century, many seals were killed by whalers and sealers for meat, oil, and skin. u.s. military forces hunted them during world war ii, while occupying laysan island and midway island. human disturbances have had immense effects on the populations of the hawaiian monk seal. they tend to avoid beaches where they are disturbed; after continual disturbance, the seals may completely abandon the beach, thus reducing habitat size, subsequently limiting population growth. for instance, large beach crowds and beach structures limit the seal’s habitat. the wwii military bases in the northwestern islands were closed, but minimal human activities can be enough to disturb the species. the current population is only around 1,400 individuals.