Abstract
The Hawaiian monk seal ( Monachus schauinslandi ) is one of the most critically endangered marine mammals . Less than 1200 individuals remain , and the species is declining at a rate of approximately 4% per year as a result of juvenile starvation , shark predation , and entanglement in marine debris . Some of these problems may be alleviated by translocation; however , if island breeding aggregates are effectively isolated subpopulations , moving individuals may disrupt local adaptations . In these circumstances , managers must balance the pragmatic need of increasing survival with theoretical concerns about genetic viability . To assess range‐wide population structure of the Hawaiian monk seal , we examined an unprecedented , near‐complete genetic inventory of the species ( n = 1897 seals , sampled over 14 years) at 18 microsatellite loci . Genetic variation was not spatially partitioned ( w = −0 . 03 , p = 1 . 0) , and a Bayesian clustering method provided evidence of one panmictic population ( K = 1) . Pairwise F ST comparisons (among 7 island aggregates over 14 annual cohorts) did not reveal temporally stable , spatial reproductive isolation . Our results coupled with long‐term tag‐resight data confirm seal movement and gene flow throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago . Thus , human‐mediated translocation of seals among locations is not likely to result in genetic incompatibilities .