PREVENTABLE LOSS: Endangered Three-Month-Old Hawaiian Monk Seal Found Dead Entangled In Fishing Net On Oʻahu

Photo Credit: Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR)

A three-month-old endangered Hawaiian monk seal was tragically found dead and entangled in an unattended lay net (gill net) off Oʻahu’s North Shore.

According to the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), the young seal was discovered on August 5 approximately 10 yards offshore, west of Mokulēʻia Beach Park. Officers with DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) responded and worked alongside Hawaiʻi Marine Animal Response (HMAR) to recover the seal.

The heartbreaking death highlights the devastating threat that abandoned fishing gear poses to Hawaiʻi’s threatened and endangered marine wildlife.

“Irresponsible, reckless, and negligent use of lay nets kills aquatic life needlessly,” said DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla. “This is why the use of nets, particularly nets involved in the lay net fishing method, are highly regulated.”

Authorities are asking anyone with information or evidence about who may have abandoned or placed the gill net to contact DOCARE at 808-643-DLNR (3567) or the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement at 800-853-1964.

Anyone who encounters an injured, entangled, or deceased Hawaiian monk seal should immediately contact the statewide NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline at 888-256-9840.

Hawaiian monk seals are federally listed as endangered and remain one of the world’s rarest seal species, making the loss of such a young animal especially devastating.

Our hearts break for this precious baby. This devastating and preventable loss is a painful reminder of the deadly impact fishing nets can have on innocent marine life. No animal should ever have to suffer or lose their life in such a cruel and unnecessary way.