PO'IPU, Kaua'i — Holding a strand of limu kala, a seaweed signifying forgiveness, Sabra Kauka asked people at a ceremony yesterday for two slain Hawaiian monk seals to educate others about the endangered animals.

"They are the kama'aina to the kai," Kauka said. "They come to land to rest, but the rest of the time their lives are in the sea. This is their home," the teacher and kumu hula said as the ocean sparkled behind her at Po'ipu Beach Park.

About 100 people gathered to mourn the killings of two monk seals on Kaua'i in the past two months. Kauka took the ashes of the animals into the ocean on a canoe to close the event.

"We're here to show respect and caring for the seals that were lost, and for all seals and for all wildlife," said Jeff Walters of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. "We're also here to highlight the good and positive things that we are doing together on this island to protect the seals."

Many at the event wore T-shirts indicating they are monk seal response team volunteers.

Kaua'i monk seal coordinator Mimi Olry recounted that the 5-year-old male seal found dead April 20 on the west side of Kaua'i was known for swimming all the way around the island and playing in the light beams of scuba divers.

"I-19 was a character and will be missed," Olry said.

The teenage female RK-06, found dead at Pila'a on May 21, was popularly known as Miloli'i Mom, Olry said.

She was the "devoted mother" of five pups and was pregnant with a sixth when shot, Olry said.

NOAA Fisheries Service law enforcement officers are investigating both deaths as violations of the federal Endangered Species Act. Depending on circumstances, a conviction could lead to fines of $50,000 or more and up to a year in jail.

The two deliberate seal killings are believed to be the first in Hawai'i since the 1980s.

David Schofield, a marine mammal specialist for NOAA Fisheries, said after the event that NOAA Fisheries must work harder to educate people about monk seals, such as the fact that they eat 5 to 15 pounds of fish a day — not their body weight — and eat many kinds of fish not desired by fishermen.