A three-month-old Hawaiian monk seal was found dead just off the shore of O'ahu's North Shore, tangled in an abandoned lay net. She was barely old enough to explore the water on her own, and she died caught in gear that no one was even there to check on. Hawaiian monk seals are critically endangered, among the rarest seal species left on Earth, and losing even one this young puts the entire population further at risk.
Sign the petition urging the Hawaii State Legislature to pass stronger restrictions on lay net use in Hawaiian waters.
Lay nets, also known as gill nets, are already regulated in the state, but current rules were not enough to stop this. These nets are indiscriminate, catching and killing whatever swims into them, whether it is the intended catch or an endangered animal that had no way of knowing the danger was there. When left unattended, they become invisible traps that can silently kill for as long as they sit in the water.
State officials have called this kind of loss preventable, and it is. Stronger restrictions on where, how, and for how long lay nets can be used, along with real limits on leaving them unattended, would close the gap that let this happen. Without that change, the next endangered seal, sea turtle, or other protected animal could meet the exact same fate.
Sign the petition and demand the Hawaii State Legislature restrict lay net use before another life is lost to gear no one was watching.
