LIHU'E, Kaua'i — A 78-year-old Kaua'i man was indicted yesterday on a charge that he violated the U.S. Endangered Species Act in connection with the May 21 shooting death of a Hawaiian monk seal on Kaua'i's north shore.

Charles Vidinha is scheduled to appear in federal court in Honolulu at 3 p.m. Tuesday for his arraignment.

Vidinha was indicted by a federal grand jury in Honolulu.

If convicted, Vidinha faces maximum penalties of one year in prison and a $50,000 fine.

The case against Vidinha resulted from an investigation conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NOAA was assisted by the Kaua'i Police Department, state Department of Land and Natural Resources, federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Hawaiian monk seals are designated as a critically endangered species, with an estimated population of nearly 1,000 in the wild. All of them live exclusively in the Hawaiian Islands.

In another case, authorities continue to investigate the April 20 death of a 5-year-old male seal on Kaua'i's west side, just a day after he'd been seen healthy. Foul play by humans is suspected.

Bill Pickering, the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement agent in charge for Hawai'i, yesterday said no link has been found between the two monk seal deaths.