Young monk seal on Kauai likely died after swallowing fish hook
COURTESY NOAA
Hawaiian monk seal RJ36, a three-year-old male, was found Monday on Kauai with fishing line trailing from his mouth, and is believed to have ingested a hook. He died before NOAA biologists arrived on the scene.
Wildlife officials today confirmed the death of a Hawaiian monk seal known as RJ36 on the shores of Kauai earlier this week due to what appears to have been an ingested hook.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the public reported the 3-year-old, male monk seal in distress on Monday, after having hauled out on the beach at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, a U.S. naval facility on Kauai.
RJ36 had six feet of fishing line trailing from his mouth, which ended in a pigtail swivel, commonly used for slide-bait fishing.
NOAA officials responded immediately, but unfortunately, RJ36 died while biologists were en route to the scene. The seal’s body was retrieved for a future post-mortem exam, which can more fully evaluate the impact of the hook and other potential factors related to the seal’s death.
RJ36 was born to the well-known female seal RK30 on Kauai’s Na Pali coast in 2017. He was regularly sighted on the south and west shores of the Garden Isle over the next three years, and was easily identified by his red J36 and J37 plastic flipper tags.
Kauai Seals reported that RJ36 was observed with some unusual scars shortly after weaning, likely due to an encounter with a shark. He was nevertheless able to heal, and grow into a healthy seal. He once had to be moved away after hauling out at the Poipu Keiki Pool.
NOAA said ingested hooks can be fatal for some seals, particularly if they pierce vital organs.
But the public reporting of hooked seals can make life-saving interventions possible if done early enough, according to NOAA. Last year, several hooked seals were saved when fishermen immediately reported the incidents to officials.
Hawaiian monk seals are a critically endangered species protected by state and federal laws, with only an estimated 1,400 remaining in the wild.
Typically there are anywhere from six to a dozen hookings a year in the main Hawaiian islands, according to NOAA. Anyone who is fishing and spots a monk seal is encouraged to remove their lines until the seal has departed. They can also help by using barbless hooks.
If a seal is hooked, NOAA recommends cutting the line as close to the animal as possible to remove trailing gear, and reporting the incident to 888-256-9840.
