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. The Hawaiian monk seal has the lowest level of genetic variability among the 18 pinniped species, allegedly due to a population bottleneck caused by intense hunting in the 19th century. This limited genetic variability reduces the species's ability to adapt to environmental pressures and limits natural selection, thus increasing their risk of extinction. Given the monk seal's small population, the effects of disease could be disastrous. Entanglement can result in mortality, because when the seals get trapped in marine debris such as fishing nets, they cannot maneuver or reach the surface to breathe. Marine fisheries can potentially interact with monk seals by direct and indirect relationships. Directly, the seal can become snared by fishing equipment, entangled in discarded debris, and even feed on fish refuse. International law prohibits the intentional discarding of debris from ships at sea. Monk seals have one of the highest documented rates of entanglement of any pinniped species. Conservation In 1909, Theodore Roosevelt created the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge (HINWR), which is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Throughout the 1980s, the National Marine Fisheries Service completed various versions of an environmental impact statement that designated the Northwest Hawaiian Islands as a critical habitat for the Hawaiian monk seal. The designation prohibited lobster fishing in the northwest Hawaiian Islands and Laysan Island. In 2006, a Presidential proclamation established the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, which incorporated the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, the HINWR, and the Battle of Midway National Memorial, thus creating the largest marine protected area in the world and affording the Hawaiian monk seal further protection. NOAA cultivated a network of volunteers to protect the seals while they bask or bear and nurse their young. NOAA is funding considerable research on seal population dynamics and health in conjunction with the Marine Mammal Center. From NOAA, several programs and networks were formed. Community programs such as PIRO have helped to improve community standards for the Hawaiian monk seal. The program also creates networks with the native Hawaiians on the island to network more people in the fight for conservation of the seals. The Marine Mammal Response Network is partnered with NOAA and several