A Washington man accused of throwing a rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal is due in a Honolulu courtroom Wednesday, but his defense carries a striking claim: he was trying to save sea turtles, not harm the seal.
Igor Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, stands charged with harassing and attempting to harass a protected animal. Video footage from earlier this month showed him hurling a rock described as the size of a coconut at the seal near a Maui beach. The animal, an adult male known as R404, narrowly avoided being struck in the head.
According to Lytvynchuk's attorney Myles Breiner, his client confused the seal with an aggressive sea lion. Lytvynchuk, a fisher familiar with sea turtles from previous visits to Hawaii, believed the seal posed a threat to the turtles and acted to drive it away. "His response was not to hurt this monk seal, but to get it away from the turtles," Breiner told the Associated Press.
When confronted by a witness at the scene, Lytvynchuk allegedly dismissed concerns about the incident, claiming he was wealthy enough to pay any resulting fines.
The incident sparked public outrage across Hawaii. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen released a video statement calling the behavior "unacceptable" and emphasizing the deep cultural and personal connection residents maintain with the island's wildlife. "Many of our residents know her, watch over her and care deeply about her wellbeing," Bissen said of the seal. He noted that members of his team in Lahaina had been actively tracking and monitoring the animal.
The backlash extended far beyond official channels. Lytvynchuk has been subjected to death threats, doxing campaigns, and harassment since the video surfaced. His attorney revealed that his client received a package at his Washington home containing what appeared to be feces.
Notably, Lytvynchuk declined to file a police report for an assault he experienced after the rock incident, during which he was reportedly brutally beaten. Breiner has suggested his client faces disproportionate treatment as a white outsider, arguing that locals commit the majority of documented attacks on monk seals and sea turtles.
Federal agents with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration pursued the case, with Lytvynchuk eventually arranging to surrender in the Seattle area. He faces charges under both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The charges carry steep penalties. If convicted on both counts, Lytvynchuk could spend up to one year in prison on each charge, pay fines up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act, and face an additional $20,000 penalty under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Hawaiian monk seals, known in ancient Hawaiian as "ʻīlio holo i ka uaua" or "dog that runs in rough water," exist nowhere else on Earth. The animals were hunted to near extinction in the 19th century and remain among the world's most critically endangered marine mammals. They typically forage far from shore in waters 60 to 300 feet deep, hunting fish, octopus, and crustaceans.
Beyond human aggression, the seals face mounting threats from coastal development, pollution, climate change, entanglement in fishing gear, and diseases linked to inland water runoff. US Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii called the incident a wake up call, stating that Noaa must intensify public education efforts about monk seal protection.
Author James Rodriguez: "A case built on video evidence isn't complicated, but the defense's narrative about mistaken identity and misguided protection efforts will test whether jurors see a careless tourist or a confused outsider caught in an island's fierce defense of its own."
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