State officials are warning the public not to feed Hawaiian monk seals, saying that the number of the endangered seals hooked this year, so far, has gone up considerably.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources has, to date, counted 24 monk seal hookings on Oahu, which it says is a substantial increase from recent years.

The DAR is also reminding fishers to follow its “Fishing Around Seals and Turtles (FAST) guidelines, which include keeping your eyes on your gear, not casting to areas where monk seals are observed, and using barbless circle hooks.

Last summer, a fisherman was praised for the prompt reporting of accidentally hooking a monk seal to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which said doing so helped save the life of Hawaiian monk seal R333 on Oahu’s North Shore.

At the time, NOAA regional marine mammal response coordinator David Schofield said there was typically anywhere from six to a dozen hookings a year in the main Hawaiian islands.

More recently, however, officials said fishermen have been observed feeding seals on Oahu’s leeward coast, where large nearshore schools of halalu fish have gathered, which may be contributing to the problem.

“While the fishermen’s intentions may be good, this is dangerous to both humans and the seals,” said DLNR in a news release. “In almost all cases, the seals will learn to associate people with food and increasingly poach off fishers, leading to even more interactions, possible seal injuries, and fishermen losing their catch.”

In addition, this adversely affects the seals’ ability to survive as wild animals, and is illegal. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, feeding or attempting to feed a monk seal is prohibited.

Anyone seen feeding monk seals can be reported to NOAA’s hotline at 888-256-9840.