UH Hilo MOP Sea Turtle Stranding Response Team
On this page:
What we do
The University of Hawaii at Hilo Marine Option Program Sea Turtle Stranding Response Team is made up of MOP Students at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. We respond to sea turtles in distress (or that are stranded) on the East Coast of the Island of Hawaii.
Examples of cases we respond to are:
- turtles entangled in fishing gear or debris
- tumored turtles
- turtles injured from boat propellers
- dead turtles
We may mount a response for any turtle that appears sick or abnormal, and requires some help.
We are a stranding team, and only have the resources to respond to turtles in shallow water or on shore. If you have found a sick or injured turtle, contact us.
The injured turtles we pick up are transported by air to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in Honolulu, where they will be examined and receive medical care if appropriate. Rehabilitated turtles are returned to the ocean.
Dead turtles are also transported to the NMFS where the Marine Turtle Research Program is headed by George Balazs, to be examined in order to determine cause of death.
Want to become an official response volunteer?
If you are a current UH Hilo student and would like to volunteer to be an official responder for the UH Hilo MOP Sea Turtle Stranding Response Team, please contact us at mophonu@hawaii.edu!
Who we are
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Marine Option Program Faculty and Staff
- Jennifer Sims
- A lecturer at UH Hilo and coordinator the MOP/NOAA Sea Turtle Stranding Response Team
- Matthew Connelly
- MOP Staff Coordinator at UH Hilo who provides additional support for the Response Team
Contact Us
- East Hawaiʻi
- Please call (808) 286-4359 if you find an injured, dead, or stranded turtle.
Other regions visit: https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/marine_turtle/strandings.php.
Some of the questions we will ask when we call you back:
- Does it respond when you approach?
- How many people will it take to carry it?
- Is it swimming in a pond, and if so, how large and deep is the pond?
- Has the turtle been on the shore for a few days?
- Note: Turtles regularly bask on shore, and this is normal behavior. However, if you notice that the turtle has been on shore for several days, it may be stranded and you should page us.
- Does it have any tumors?
- How large and where are the tumors?
For suspected law enforcement violations such as killing, harming, or harrassing a turtle, please call the Hawaiʻi DLNR Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement (DOCARE) at (808)643-3567.
We thank you for your concern and help in helping marine turtles. Please remember that marine turtles are protected by law and you should not touch them. Removal of hooks and line is best handled by a qualified vet (based in Honolulu) so please call us to pick up such a turtle so that it receives proper care.