“Monk Seal Is Second in Eight Months To Die In Lay Gill Net”
Public urged to exercise caution along isle beaches and nearshore waters

Honolulu, May 31, 2007 – After Sunday’s drowning of an adult Hawaiian monk seal in an illegal lay gill net near Mākua Beach, government officials and scientists are issuing warnings about interactions that threaten the survival of this highly endangered species. Eight months ago, a similar drowning occurred when a pup was entangled in an abandoned lay gill net near Waimānalo.

Dr. Mimi Olry, a veterinarian and the Kaua‘i Marine Conservation Coordinator for the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources, says there are multiple threats facing Hawaiian monk seals, including food limitation; fishery interactions and entanglement; shark predation; infectious diseases such as parasites from livestock, feral and domestic animals; habitat loss; and human interactions during the breeding season.

“The public can definitely play a role in minimizing threats to this endangered species by being mindful of how they fish. This includes pulling in all nets and not leaving fishing lines behind,” said Dr. Olry. “If encounters with monk seals occur, people should stay at a distance and not disrupt these animals. Everyone enjoys wildlife, but if we want to continue to have them around we need to give them space.”

Recent fishery interactions:

Divers disentangled a seal from a nearshore gill net in 2002. In 2004 a fisherman cut a seal out of a net at Kapa'a, Kaua'i. Another seal was temporarily entangled in a nearshore gill net in 2005, but escaped unaided. A seal pup was found entangled and drowned in a lay gill net in October 2006. And on Sunday, May 27, an adult male seal drowned in a lay net.

In 2005, there were seven seals found hooked in the MHI. There were also four incidents of hooked seals in 2006, all of which were found on Kaua‘i. Three of the incidents resulted in dehooked seals, and all were immediately released on site.

Source: NOAA

Hawaiian monk seals are protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the State of Hawai‘i. It is illegal to hurt, harass, capture or kill one.

“We recently enacted lay gill net restrictions and one aspect of these rules is to avoid travesties such as the monk seal drowning at Mākua.” Dr. Dan Polhemus, Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) administrator says, “Irresponsible fishers, who do not follow the new rules, are at risk of causing a complete ban on lay netting.” Polhemus explains that the state is at risk of lawsuit under the federal Endangered Species Act, which protects monk seal species from death or injury by this fishing gear and/or any other fishery interactions.

The new lay gill net regulations mandate that nets not exceed 125 feet in length. The nets must be anchored, have floats on both ends, and be registered and tagged. Within a 24- hour period, a lay gill net can remain in the water for no more than four hours and cannot be set at night. Lay nets cannot be left unattended for more than 30 minutes and after the first two hours the net must be inspected. Lay gill nets are banned on the island of Maui and in portions of O‘ahu including Kāne‘ohe Bay, and Kailua Bay. For maps of banned areas and complete regulations on lay gill nets, please go to www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar.

“The new lay gill net rules that went into effect in March of this year are an important first step toward restoring our nearshore fisheries,” says Kim Hum, marine program director for The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i. “However, better enforcement and a complete ban of this indiscriminate fishing method may be necessary to protect highly endangered species such as monk seals and sea turtles,”

Less than 1,300 monk seals remain in the entire Hawaiian island chain, with a mere 75 documented in the main islands. According to local NOAA officials, the monk seal population has been declining at a rate of four percent each year over the past several years.

Recommendations for Potential Monk Seal Encounters:

NOAA suggests that if a monk seal is encountered it is important to stay at least 150 feetaway and limit your viewing time to no more than half an hour. You should also stay away from the mammal’s head and stay low to the ground. Avoid sudden movements and keep all pets on a leash and away from the seal. Do not attempt to swim, feed or touch the seals.

Hawaiian monk seals are large wild mammals, and they can become aggressive, especially if protecting their young. Fishermen should be extremely cautious and if a monk seal is sighted they should pull in their nets and or fishing lines immediately. It is also important to adhere to the new restrictions on lay gill nets. Fishers should avoid laying net in any of the banned areas on O‘ahu and Maui. If a line or net gets snagged in the reef or rocky shoreline it is important to cut the snag as close to the source as possible and try to remove as much of this monofilament line or net, since seals and other marine mammals can easily be caught in this debris.

The public can report a monk seal sighting by calling (808) 220-7802 or by emailing
pifsc.monksealsighting@noaa.gov. If the animal is in trouble, call (888) 256-9840. If you would like to volunteer or participate in NOAA’s semi-annual seal count visit www.fpir.noaa.gov

Media Contacts:

Fair Catch campaign (www.faircatchhawaii.org)

For information on the Fair Catch campaign and for photographs or video footage of
Hawaiian monk seals, please contact Shannon Crownover at, (808) 391-0281, shannon@seaweb.org

NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office of the National Marine Fisheries Service (www.fpir.noaa.gov)
Wende Goo, (808) 944-2245, Wende.goo@noaa.gov