Courtesy of the Marine Mammal Center Keaka is seen with a hook in her mouth on November 18.
1 /3 COURTESY OF THE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER Keaka is seen with a hook in her mouth on November 18.
COURTESY DLNR A young monk seal hangs out in Honokohau Harbor. Officials warn fishermen not to feed or come into contact with the seal so as not to affect its development in the wild.
2 /3 COURTESY DLNR A young monk seal hangs out in the Honokohau Small Boat harbor. Officials warn fishermen not to feed or come into contact with the seal so as not to affect its development in the wild.
COURTESY OF DLNR 3/3 COURTESY OF DLNR COURTESY OF MARINE MAMMAL CENTER Keaka is seen on November 18 with a hook in her mouth.
COURTESY DLNR A young monk seal hangs out in Honokohau Harbor. Officials warn fishermen not to feed or come into contact with the seal so as not to affect its development in the wild.
Courtesy of DLNR State officials are reminding the public not to feed or handle the endangered Hawaiian monk seals at the Honokohau Small Boat Harbor on Hawaii Island as a young pup becomes a frequent visitor.
Keaka, a five-month-old female pup, has become a regular at the harbor, according to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, likely attracted by schools of akulefish, or “bait balls,” floating near the rocky shoreline.
There are reports that she was given leftovers by local fishermen.
This is detrimental to her development, officials say, because if she becomes conditioned to seeking out food from humans, it could alter a seal’s normal foraging behavior. That, in turn, will negatively impact her ability to grow and mature as a wild seal.
DLNR’s Aquatic Resources and Boating Division is working with the Marine Mammal Center to educate boaters and fishermen not to feed the young monk seal. Signs have been placed around the harbour.
Tyler Jeschke, a DAR monitoring technician, said Keaka likes to interact with people who take photos of her.
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“We’re getting reports that she’s being fed,” he said, “by coming in and eating the scraps that people are dumping off their boats, or by some of the akule fishermen throwing her fish.”
Keaka is expected to persist into the new year, as long as there is enough food for her to catch, said Jeannine Rossa, head of the DAR’s protected species program.
“We hope people will be careful not to feed her and to slow down and look out for her when entering or leaving the port,” Rossa said in a news release. “If we can make sure everyone doesn’t feed her or throw leftovers in the water, we hope she leaves on her own.”
Officials said the leftovers should be bagged and placed in waste containers at the port, rather than dumped into the water. Additionally, they are asking anglers to reel it in and not cast it out when Keaka is around.
The precocious seal has already been hooked twice this month.
Ke Kai Ola of the Marine Mammal Center staff pulled a hook from the right side of her mouth, with a monofilament line running out of it. Not long after, she became addicted for a second time after eating a live akule used as bait.
The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered seal species in the world and is protected by both federal and state law. It is estimated that there are only 1,600 seals left in the wild.
To report a crocheted seal, call NOAA’s hotline at 888-256-9840.
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