Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following article in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin. *Persistent organic pollutants in the endangered Hawaiian monk seal ( Monachus schauinslandi) from the main Hawaiian Islands* Jessica Lopez, Daryle Boyd, Gina M. Ylitalo, Charles Littnan, Ronald Pearce Marine Pollution Bulletin 64 (2012) 2588–2598 Abstract Little is known about levels or effects of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Hawaiian monk seals (HMS) from the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) subpopulation. This study examined concentrations of a large suite of POPs in blubber and serum of juvenile and adult HMS from the MHI. Adult females have the lowest blubber levels of most POPs, whereas adult males have highest levels. POPs in serum were significantly different in adult males compared with adult females for chlordanes and summed dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs). Lipid-normalized concentrations of chlordanes, DDTs, polychlorinated biphenyls, and mirex in paired blubber and serum samples were significantly correlated. Contaminant levels from the MHI were at similar or lower levels than those from remote Northwestern Hawaiian Island populations. Determining initial ranges of POPs is an important step towards assessing one of the many potential health threats to this critically endangered species. Keywords Hawaiian monk seal, *Monachus schauinslandi, *Persistent organic pollutants, Endangered species, Hawaii, Contaminants Limited access to the article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.07.012 Please contact Jessica Lopez (Jessica.Lopez@noaa.gov) for a pdf copy. Sincerely, Jessica Lopez -- Field Research Supervisor NOAA, NMFS, JIMAR Hawaiian monk seal research program office - 808-690-9643 cell - 808-226-1969