Rescued Hawaiian monk seal pup returns to ocean, hook-free

A Hawaiian monk seal pup that swallowed a fishing hook is now hook-free and swimming in the ocean off Kauai.

Monk seal RS10 made a speedy recovery after experts rescued him and removed the hook, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric and Administration, which oversees the endangered seals.

Kauai volunteers on March 16 spotted the 8-month-old seal with about 30 feet of fishing line trailing from his mouth.

A team from NOAA and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources picked up RS10 five days later. The U.S. Coast Guard transported him to Kai Kai Ola, The Marine Mammal Center’s monk seal hospital in Kailua-Kona.

It turns out that RS10 had the hook lodged in his esophagus, but the experienced team at Ke Kai Ola was able to use special de-hooking tools to safely remove it while the seal was under anesthesia.

After recovery at the center, where he was fed fish and given anti-inflammatory drugs, RS10 was transported back to Kauai for his release.

“Fishing gear ingestion can pose life-threatening health risks to Hawaiian monk seals making this important intervention necessary for RS10’s survival,” said Dr. Sophie Whoriskey, associate director of Hawai‘i Conservation Medicine at TMMC, in a statement. “For an endangered species like the Hawaiian monk seal, every patient matters. We are grateful to the community for their support and our partners for their rapid response ensuring this seal can now return to his ocean home.”

NOAA reminds the public to keep a distance of at least 50 feet from Hawaiian monk seals, and 150 feet from mom-pup pairs. NOAA has also helped develop best practices for fishing around monk seals.

Reports of hooked, stranded or entangled monk seals can be made to the NOAA hotline at 1-888-256-9840.