Nature Conservancy officials said they recovered the bodies of 16 dead hammerhead shark pups today in Kane'ohe Bay near the Waikalua Fish Pond.

"They were all dead," Eric Conklin, marine science adviser for the Nature Conservancy said.

Lay gill nets have been banned entirely on Maui, in West Hawai'i and select areas on O'ahu, including Portlock Point to Keahi Point, Kailua Bay and Kane'ohe Bay.

It is illegal to leave a gill net in the water for more than four hours and it is also illegal to leave them unattended for more than 30 minutes, a Nature Conservancy official said. It is not known yet if the pups were found in one net or several that were strung together or if the nets were registered and set up properly.

Violators can face fines of up to $3,000.

More information will be released shortly.

Earlier this month, The Advertiser reported that 75 percent of Hawai'i's reef fish are depleted or in critical condition, and unregulated lay gill net fishing could be the primary culprit, local fishing enthusiasts said.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources said it has114 enforcement officers statewide — 43 on O'ahu — who are in charge of protecting Hawai'i's natural area reserves, public lands, waters, forests and other resources.

There are 2,200 registered lay nets in the state, 550 of which are on O'ahu. To date, eight stolen lay nets have been recorded, DLNR public information officer Deborah Ward said earlier this month.

People can report illegal use of gill nets to the DLNR's Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement. Callers can leave their name and phone number with an enforcement officer to receive a follow-up report.