State and federal officials are investigating the deaths of two endangered Hawaiian monk seals found on Molokai’s southern shore.
Authorities said necropsies of both seals indicated they died under suspicious circumstances.
Hawaiian monk seals are an important part of the islands’ ecosystem and need to be respected as a valued part of the natural and cultural environment, said William Aila Jr., director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
"The harm to one is a blow to Hawaii," Aila said.
National Marine Fisheries Service spokeswoman Wende Goo said the investigations were continuing, and declined to release details on the deaths.
Authorities said the body of one seal, an 8-year-old adult, was found in mid-November. The other, that of a female less than 2 years old, was found this week.
A violation of the federal Endangered Species Act carries a fine of up to $50,000 and/or up to one year in prison.
A state law passed in 2010 increased the penalties for harassing or killing a Hawaiian monk seal to a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
The Hawaiian monk seal population has been declining about 4 percent a year, with an estimated 907 in the Northern Hawaiian Islands and 153 in the main Hawaiian Islands.
Jeff Walters, National Marine Fisheries marine mammal branch chief in Hawaii, said the loss of the female was "particularly hard" because of the lost reproductive potential.
"We have already a shortage of healthy females," Walters said.
The female, RT40, was born in May 2010 in Kalaupapa and had last been seen in late November, he said.
"She looked in good condition. … She was healthy and fine," he said.
The adult male, RR64, was born in 2003, also in Kalaupapa. Both seals frequented Molokai’s southern shore, he said.
Scientists had tracked the travels of the male in an effort to learn more about foraging patterns, he said.
Walters said every seal that is lost hurts species recovery efforts.
"We don’t know for sure if they were intentionally killed, but we can’t rule it out," he said.
Molokai activist Walter Ritte said the deaths are an indication of a "dangerous trend."
Ritte said while some Hawaiians might feel the seals are depleting fisheries, the Hawaiian monk seals have been in Hawaii longer than humans.
"These seals are … like the Hawaiian people who are struggling to survive in their own land," he said. "Hawaiians need to see themselves when they see a Hawaiian monk seal."
Anyone with possible information about the deaths is asked to call the National Marine Fisheries office of enforcement at 800-853-1964 or state Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement at 873-3990 or 643-3567 after business hours.
