The Lost Guardian of the Black Sea — The Story of the Monk Seal

The sea remembers everything — every life it nurtured, every song it carried, every silence it was forced to swallow.
One of the greatest silences left in the Black Sea is that of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), once the graceful guardian of its waters.

The monk seal was last seen in the Black Sea in 1997, and with its disappearance, a vital chapter of the marine ecosystem closed.
This extinction was not an accident.
It was a tragedy written slowly — through human hands, human choices, and human ignorance.

A Life Once Full of Grace

The monk seal was:

• A peaceful marine mammal
• A nurturing parent
• A gentle swimmer along rocky coastal caves

It sat at the top of the marine food chain, playing a crucial role in balancing fish populations and maintaining ecosystem stability.
Where the monk seal lived, the sea was healthy — abundant, dynamic, and alive.

The Reasons Behind the Extinction

Its decline was not caused by nature — it was caused by us.

For decades, fishermen viewed the seals as competition, believing they stole their fish or damaged their nets.
And so they were:

• Hunted for their fat and skin
• Killed out of frustration and fear
• Captured alive and sold to zoos, traveling shows, and fairs as entertainment objects

Meanwhile:

• Tourism expanded, disturbing nesting and resting areas
• Coastal development destroyed habitats
• Industrial waste polluted the ecosystem

The sea grew louder, dirtier, more chaotic — and the monk seal disappeared.

After the Seal: A Sea Out of Balance

When the monk seal vanished, something bigger collapsed.

Without a top predator to regulate marine life, fish stocks dropped sharply.
The marine ecosystem began to tilt, becoming fragile and imbalanced.
Industrial fishing fleets continued to take more than the sea could replenish.

Local fishermen — those who depended on the sea to survive — found themselves catching less fish than ever before.

What once seemed like competition from the monk seal was now understood for what it truly was:

The seal was not the enemy — it was the protector.

Without it, the sea was left undefended.

Why We Tell This Story

The story of the monk seal is a reminder:

• That every species matters
• That ecosystems are delicate
• That extinction is never distant — it begins quietly, invisibly, close to home

The SEAL Project exists to mourn, educate, and act:
—to honor what was lost,
—to protect what remains,
—and to restore what can still be saved.

We tell this story not out of despair, but out of responsibility.

The Future Depends on Awareness

Today, young people in Jordan and across Europe are working together to:

• Clean coasts and sea floors
• Document environmental damage
• Raise collective awareness
• Advocate for sustainable fishing practices
• Teach communities about the importance of marine ecosystems

Their message is simple:

“What disappears from the sea does not come back easily.
But what we still have now — we must protect.”

The Black Sea lost its guardian once.
We cannot allow the same fate in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, or anywhere else.

This story is not over —
we are the ones writing the next chapter.