The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources is investigating an Instagram post that appears to show an adult male throwing an object toward a Hawaiian monk seal while it was swimming off the Lahaina shoreline. The agency said the matter was first brought to the Maui branch of the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement after a report from Maui Police Department Dispatch.
A DOCARE officer responded to the scene and contacted a 37-year-old man from Seattle, Washington who matched the description of the suspected person. He was detained, identified, advised of his rights, and declined to speak without counsel.
Federal review now leads the case
Because Hawaiian monk seals are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, DOCARE said it will hand the state investigation to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement for additional review and possible action. The department also said the suspect has not been criminally charged, so no identity will be released.
The incident comes as officials also report repeated public breaches at Kaimana Beach on Oʻahu, where a temporary fence marks the resting area for Kaiwi, a 15-year-old female monk seal, and her pup. Kaiwi gave birth on the beach on May 3, and the beach area remains a sensitive zone for the pair.
Warnings about close contact with mothers and pups
DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla said the pup’s early days are especially important and stressed that people should not enter the protected area. “This is a very crucial time in the life of this pup, so for these people to be breaching the area and getting close is not a good idea at all,” he said.
He also warned that a mother seal may respond aggressively if she feels threatened. Redulla pointed to a 2022 incident at Kaimana Beach in which a swimmer was injured after an encounter with a mother seal, suffering lacerations to the face, back, and arm.
Officials added that NOAA penalties in previous monk seal cases have reached several thousand dollars. The agency said those consequences reflect the legal protections in place for an endangered marine mammal that can be harmed by disturbance, harassment, feeding, or other interference.
What the public is being asked to do
State officials are urging beachgoers to keep dogs leashed and far from seals, use another beach during the nursing period, and stay outside posted barriers. They also advise people to remain at least 150 feet away from mothers with pups and at least 50 feet away from all monk seals.
Swimmers are also being told to avoid the water near a mother and pup, and to use binoculars or a camera zoom instead of approaching. Officials said the goal is to keep people safe while reducing stress on the animals and protecting Hawaiʻi’s endangered marine life.
How to report violations
Hawaiian monk seals are protected under both the federal Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, along with state law. Any disturbance, harassment, feeding, or harm can lead to fines or criminal penalties.
Anyone who sees a possible violation involving a marine animal in Hawaiʻi is being asked to report it immediately with as much detail as possible to NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement at 800-853-1964. The agency said public cooperation remains essential as it continues to monitor both the Lahaina investigation and the protection of the monk seal mother-and-pup pair at Kaimana Beach.
