HONOLULU (AP) - State and federal officials have moved a Hawaiian monk seal on Kauai due to concerns for the animal’s safety.
The officials determined the 10-month-old monk seal was at risk living in the Lihi canal in Kapaa, which is on the eastern side of the island where two other juvenile seas died in 2014 and 2016.
Necropsies conducted on the seals determined they drowned and that fishing gear was the most likely cause, KHON-TV reported (https://bit.ly/2n3EwXB) Saturday.
Seals are likely attracted to the canal by fish scraps illegally left by fishermen.
The monk seal that was recently moved was fitted with a tracking device before being released back into the wild.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources assisted in moving the seal to safety.
Officials are reminding the public of Hawaii state rules for activities in the Lihi canal. The regulations allow crabbing with no more than 10 nets of less than 2 feet in diameter and catching shrimp for bait with a hand net of 3 feet or less in any dimension.
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Information from: KHON-TV, https://khon.com
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