A five-month-old Hawaiian monk seal named Keaka is frequenting the Honokōhau Small Boat Harbor on Hawaii Island, where she is attracted to schools of fish.
Because of this, the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources DAR, the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, and the Marine Mammal Center are reminding people not to feed Hawaiian monk seals, to put fish scraps in the dumpster, to cast away from the seal, and to drive their boats slowly. DOBOR is working with DAR to post educational signs to maximize the outreach and education of boaters and fishers.
The state agencies and nonprofit are concerned that Keaka will become habituated to people, which may affect her ability to grow and mature as a wild seal.
Keaka has been feeding on schools of akule fish, referred to as “bait balls,” which float near the surface of the water, along the rocky shoreline at the harbor. It’s here that fishers also gather.
“She likes to interact with people who are taking pictures of her, and we have been getting reports that she’s being fed, either by coming in and eating the scraps that people are dumping off their boats or by some of the akule fishermen who are throwing her fish,” said Tyler Jeschke, a monitoring technician with DAR, in a news release.
Jeannine Rossa, acting protected species program lead for DAR, is working with DOBOR to provide bags for the fishers to put scraps in — rather than dumping them in the water.
“We’re in this for the long run as this seal is likely to stick around well into the new year and certainly for as long as there’s plentiful food for her to snag,” Rossa said. “We hope people will be mindful not to feed her and to slow down and watch for her when entering or exiting the harbor. If we can get everyone to not feed her and to not toss scraps into the water, we hope she leaves on her own.”
This month, Keaka has been hooked twice. On Nov. 10, people reported seeing her with a hook in the right side of her mouth and monofilament line trailing from her body. Two days later, staff from the Marine Mammal Center’s monk seal hospital removed the hook. Unfortunately, she got hooked a second time by eating a live akule that was used as bait. Fishers are being told that Keaka goes after live bait and to reel it in when she’s around.
Federal and state laws protect Hawaiian monk seals. Conservationists give extra attention to female monk seals, as they are crucial for the survival of the critically endangered species.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.