Young monk seal returns to Molokai waters after fishing hook removed
COURTESY SOPHIE WHORISKEY / THE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER
An X-ray image, left, shows a barbed, circle hook lodged in the larynx of Hawaiian monk seal RP92 prior to a successful procedure to remove it by veterinary experts at Ke Kai Ola, The Marine Mammal Center’s hospital in Kailua-Kona. Removed fishing gear, right.
COURTESY SHEILA LATTA / THE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER
Juvenile male Hawaiian monk seal RP92 with a satellite tracking tag at Ke Kai Ola, The Marine Mammal Center’s hospital in Kailua-Kona.
COURTESY NOAA FISHERIES
NOAA Fisheries and partners from the National Park Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, and The Marine Mammal Center transport Hawaiian monk seal RP92 back home to the beach in Kalaupapa, Molokai.
COURTESY NOAA FISHERIES
U.S. Coast Guard service member opens the door for Hawaiian monk seal RP92 to return to the ocean on Molokai.
A male, juvenile Hawaiian monk seal is back in the waters of Molokai several weeks after he swallowed a fishing hook, according to wildlife officials.
Monk seal RP92 was rescued in early June from Kalaupapa after the National Park Service reported seeing him with fishing gear hanging out of his mouth.
Officials were able to rescue RP92 and transport him to The Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola, a hospital for monk seals in Kailua-Kona, where a barbed, circle hook was removed from his larynx under anesthesia using a special procedure.
The center has a partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Coast Guard and NPS that allows it to regularly coordinate the rescue, treatment and release of the endangered monk seals.
“Our team is thrilled to release RP92 back to the wild after he made a full recovery from a complex procedure to remove a swallowed fishing hook, an incredible success story,” said Dr. Sophie Whoriskey, The Marine Mammal Center’s Hawaiian monk seal conservation veterinarian, in a news release. “This seal’s story reemphasizes the importance of our ongoing partnerships to help save this species when the survival of each individual is critical to the recovery of the population.”
While in the care of Ke Kai Ola, RP92 gained more than 25 pounds, prompting the team to prepare for his release back to Molokai.
Thanks to a lift from the USCG, the seal on July 8 was transported from Kona International Airport back to a beach on Molokai, where he was released.
RP92 paused a few times before heading straight for the ocean.
NOAA outfitted him with a temporary satellite tag so scientists can monitor his movements in the wild and use the information to improve broader recovery efforts.
With only about 1,500 animals remaining in the wild, Hawaiian monk seals are an endangered species protected by state and federal laws. Roughly 1,200 live in the Northwestern Hawaii Islands, while a growing number live and give birth in the main Hawaiian islands.
Rocky, or RH58, recently gave birth to a pup again at the popular, well-frequented Kaimana Beach Park in Waikiki, where the pair can be seen nursing. The male seal is her 14th pup.
Officials remind the public to keep a safe distance of at least 50 feet from monk seals, and at least 150 feet from monk seal moms with pups.
Sightings and reports of hooked, stranded or entangled monk seals can be called to the NOAA hotline at 1-888-256-9840.
