Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 8, 1 August 1993 — Ke ao nani [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ke ao nani

Naturally Hawaiian

by Patrick Ching artist/environmentalist

Hawai'i's sea turtles

If you've spent any time around the oeean, you are probably familiar with the sea turtles that frequent Hawaiian waters. If you've been lucky enough to observe them underwater, then you have experienced their grace as they glide through the water with seemingly effortless strokes of their wing-like flippers. Several types of sea turtles inhabit Hawaiian waters: the Hawksbill, OIive Riddley, Loggerhead and Giant Leatherneck turtles are occasionally sighted with the most eommon turtle by far being the Paciftc Green Sea Turtle. The favorite nesting grounds for the green sea turtle, known to Hawaiians as honu are on the tiny, sand-covered islands in the northwestern Hawaiian ehain. The crescent-shaped atoll of French Frigate Shoals is where the highest concentration of turtles occurs. About 95 percent of the green sea turtles born in the state are born here. Eaeh summer the turtles from throughout the Pacific eome here to feed. mate and bask in the sun. These uninhabited islands are an ideal refuge for the honu, whieh are easily disturbed by humans or

dogs, especially while on land. From May to August, the pregnant female turtles eome out of the water to lay their eggs in the sand during the night. An adult female may weigh over 300 pounds and lay over 100 eggs per nest. The average adult female may lay between one to eight nests in a season, but may go a year or more between nesting seasons. The eggs are about the size of golf balls. After a eouple of months the eggs will hatch and the young turtles will emerge from their nest during the night and head for the water. In many areas of the world seabirds take large numbers of young turtles before they reach the water. In Hawai'i, however, seabirds are not known to eat newly-hatched turtles. Onee in the water, though, young turtles are vulnerable to fish, sharks and other marine animals. Sharks even attack and kill full-grown turtles. Predation by man is by far the biggest threat to the world's sea turtles, whieh are hunted and -kil!ed for their meat, shells and eggs. The honu was a favored food of the Hawaiian people, who also made use of their shells

and eggs. As domestic and eommercial demand for turtle meat and products increased, the sea turtle population in Hawai'i decreased. As a result, the honu was put on the federal endangered species list, and now it is illegal to harass or kill them.

In the past two decades, Hawai'i's green sea turtle population has increased steadily, probably as a direct result of their protected status. In recent years, however, the turtles have been found with tumors covering their soft body parts. These tumors

often affect the turtle's ability to see and eat when they are present on the turtle's eyes or mouth. The cause of these tumors is not yet known but they are having serious effects on the recovery of the species.