HONOKOHAU SMALL BOAT HARBOR, HAWAI‘I ISLAND - Many days lately, a five-month-old female Hawaiian monk seal, named Keaka (tag number T64/T65), is a frequent visitor to this busy harbor.

This has prompted the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR), and The Marine Mammal Center to step up outreach and education to boaters and fishers.

Keaka is attracted to schools of akule fish, referred to as “bait balls.” The fish float      near the surface where fishers gather along the rocky shoreline. The young seal has been feeding on the bait balls.

“She likes to interact with people who are taking pictures of her, and we have been getting reports that she’s being fed, either by coming in and eating the scraps that people are dumping off their boats or by some of the akule fishermen who are throwing her fish,” said Tyler Jeschke, a monitoring technician with DAR.

These interactions are especially concerning for Keaka’s health and development. If they continue, the pup will likely become conditioned to seek out people, negatively affecting her ability to grow and mature as a wild seal. Reasons like this are why it is illegal to feed Hawaiian monk seals.

Jeschke is one of the people making frequent trips to talk to and inform fishers. “We’re just making sure that especially with all the boat traffic and the fishermen that she’s staying safe, and people are acting accordingly because of her presence,” Jeschke said.

“Due to the bait ball, Keaka is likely to stick around for a while,” explained Jeannine Rossa, acting protected species program lead for DAR. Rossa and others working to protect Keaka are working with DOBOR to provide bags for scraps to put into harbor dumpsters rather than dumping them in the water.

“We’re in this for the long run as this seal is likely to stick around well into the new year and certainly for as long as there’s plentiful food for her to snag,” Rossa said. “We hope people will be mindful not to feed her and to slow down and watch for her when entering or exiting the harbor. If we can get everyone to not feed her and to not toss scraps into the water, we hope she leaves on her own.”

Young Keaka has been hooked twice already this month. On Nov. 10, she was reported with a hook in the right side of her mouth and monofilament line trailing from her body. Two days later, she hauled out at O‘oma where staff from Ke Kai Ola, the Center’s monk seal hospital and conservation program, successfully removed the hook. Then she got hooked a second time by eating a live akule that was used as bait. Fishers are being told that she’s known to take live bait, and they should reel it in when she’s around and be careful not to cast around her or over her.

Hawaiian monk seals are protected by both federal and state laws. Female seals get an extra measure of care by marine scientists as they are extremely important to building the population of this critically endangered species.

“Negative human interactions like crowding and purposeful feeding can alter a young, impressionable seal’s normal foraging behavior and can have lasting consequences to its development and long-term health,” says Megan McGinnis, Associate Director of Hawai‘i Community Conservation at The Marine Mammal Center. “Responding to, caring for, and raising awareness to empower our community on how they can protect endangered Hawaiian monk seals, like Keaka, is at the heart of our one health approach.

DOBOR staff have been instrumental in helping spread the word at the sprawling harbor, home to hundreds of commercial and recreational vessels. They’re showing DAR staff where to post educational signs to maximize the outreach and education to boaters and fishers. They also have close interaction with regular harbor users.

“I’m talking to people I know, especially the fishermen, because I know people have been illegally putting things in the water like fish scraps. So, I’m like hey, get the word out to your buddies, and they’re all about it. They want to be helpful,” remarked Honok?hau Harbor Master David LeDuc.

Jeschke also is finding that people are very receptive. “Monk seal pups are cute animals. They’re very endearing, so I think a lot of people want to help them, especially because Keaka is so young and curious “I think we’re going in a good direction right now, despite the few folks who don’t want to listen or cooperate.”