HMSRP Hawaiian Monk Seal Fisheries Interactions data

The data set contains records of all documented hookings and/or entanglements of Hawaiian monk seals with actively fished gear, both commercial and recreational. The data do NOT include fishery interactions in which seals take the bait or the catch without becoming hooked or entangled. Data include 1) reports from the public or field biologists of seals sighted with embedded hooks; 2) reports from the public or field biologists of seals entangled in nearshore gillnets within the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI); 3) NMFS observer reports, and 4) fishery logbooks. Reports from the public are followed up by field biologists to verify the incident. Seals observed entangled in nearshore gillnets in the MHI are generally considered to have become entangled while the gear was being actively fished, rather than when the gear may have been derelict.