LIHU‘E — Federal officials are “doing anything and everything we possibly can to find who did this horrible thing” — the killing of two endangered Hawaiian monk seals in or near Kaua‘i waters in the last two months. That’s the
LIHU‘E — Federal officials are “doing anything and everything we possibly can to find who did this horrible thing” — the killing of two endangered Hawaiian monk seals in or near Kaua‘i waters in the last two months.
That’s the word from Wende Goo, public affairs officer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service.
Unfortunately, the killer or killers of the monk seals probably have some fans among Kaua‘i’s fishing community, who are under the misimpression that monk seals are eating all their game fish.
Real evidence indicates that is not the case at all, said Don Heacock, aquatic biologist with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources.
Heacock, who has looked at the contents of the dead seals’ stomachs, knows monk seals in and around Kaua‘i don’t eat foods they favor more when in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands — lobster and octopus.
“They’re not eating he‘e. They’re not eating lobster,” because humans fish for those here and not in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Heacock said.
“Our seals have completely different feeding habits than they do up there.”
Here, monk seals survive on things like sand eels and smaller fish local fishermen aren’t interested in, he said.
Dr. Mimi Olry, Kaua‘i monk seal response coordinator and marine mammal response coordinator, said analysis of regurgitated food consumed by monk seals shows moray eel as a prime food source.
Another common misconception is that monk seals were brought to Hawaiian waters, Heacock said.
He said kupuna on Ni‘ihau first reported seeing monk seals there in the 1960s. The first one Heacock saw was in 1986. The original Kaua‘i monk seal watch program was established by Heacock in 1992.
“Nobody knows when they first showed up on Kaua‘i. We’ve got to realize that these are Hawaiian seals,” he said.
Olry said no government agency brought the seals to Kaua‘i, and while she loves the creatures, she wishes they had never come because here they are vulnerable to the violent or reckless actions of humans and at greater risk of extinction.
She is called on to de-hook three to four seals each year that are snagged by fishing equipment, she said.
Unfortunately, she said, more and more of the monk seals are showing up on Kaua‘i’s shores, as the population spreads out in order to more effectively compete for food sources.
The suspected carrying capacity of monk seals in Kaua‘i waters is around 75 animals because there is not enough food to support more, Heacock said.
Until the human population is educated about these and other facts, there may be more harm done to seals by humans, he said.
“The main reason is ignorance. People are afraid of the unknown,” said Heacock. “They will continue to be ignorant until they are educated. I think it’s very unfortunate.”
He does not condone what he called the “unscrupulous behavior” of the person or persons killing monk seals. They’re “ignorant of the fact that these animals do not eat the same fish they fish for.”
“Do we want to live in harmony with nature, or do we want to dominate it?” he asked. “Education is the key. The war we’re fighting continuously is the war on ignorance. Some people are uneducable.”
In addressing the ongoing investigations, Goo said in a telephone interview Thursday, “NOAA recognizes that monk seals are important to the Kaua‘i community.”
Because the federal investigations are ongoing, Goo was unable to answer most questions, saying NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service law-enforcement officers are working with DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers on Kaua‘i.
Deborah Ward, DLNR spokesperson, said NOAA is the lead investigating agency because the deaths involve violations of the federal Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.
When asked the question, why are people killing monk seals, Olry said, “We’d like to know that ourselves. It’s a grave concern of all of us.”
Whether it’s target practice in a remote location where the shooter or shooters felt comfortable they could get away with their actions, vented anger and frustration over the sagging economy, a negative reaction to people being reminded of federal laws in place to protect the endangered species or other reasons, the bottom line for Olry is that she is very concerned whenever she asks a trained seal volunteer to respond to a remote location, because she can’t be everywhere at once.
The seals earlier this year were placed on the most-endangered-species list, which she described as being “red-listed,” as the number of Hawaiian monk seals left in the world fell below 1,200.
Losing a proven successful mother like RK06, the pregnant female found dead at a North Shore beach last week, at the hands of a human is particularly troublesome, she said. There just aren’t enough reproductive young females to replace RK06, she said.
Those interested in becoming trained volunteers for either the monk seal or marine mammal response programs should call 651-7668, she said.
Anyone with information about the monk-seal deaths should call the NOAA fisheries enforcement, 24-hour line, 1-800-853-1964.
