A Louisiana couple were fined for touching an endangered seal during their honeymoon in Hawaii

• A couple said they were fined for disturbing an endangered Hawaiian monk seal on their honeymoon.
• Touching a Hawaiian monk seal carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
• "We sincerely apologize if we offended any locals," the husband, identified as Stephen, said.

A Louisiana couple who recently went on their honeymoon in Hawaii said they were fined after a video of a woman touching an endangered Hawaiian monk seal on a beach in Kauai went viral.

The TikTok video showed the woman touching and posing with the seal before it turned its head up and snapped at her, prompting her to run away. The couple faced backlash after an Instagram account reposted the video this week, garnering more than 50,000 views as of Wednesday.

"We didn't see no signs," the husband, identified only as Stephen, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Tuesday. "We didn't know anything, but I know that's no excuse."

Stephen said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had contacted him and his wife, Lakyn, to issue a fine; the Star-Advertiser report didn't say how much. A spokeswoman for the NOAA Fisheries' Pacific Islands Regional Office told the newspaper that authorities were investigating.

"We sincerely apologize if we offended any locals," Stephen said. "The last thing we want to do is disrespect anyone or anybody's culture or lifestyle. That's something we're really, really sorry about."

"We're animal lovers. We weren't trying to cause any harm or threaten or scare any animals," he added. "We're deeply sorry. We'll learn from this mistake."

The Hawaiian monk seal population is protected under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is a Class C felony to disturb or harm a Hawaiian monk seal, carrying a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.