UH Hilo students assist with recovery and release of Hawaiian green sea turtle
Following a period of healing and recovery, the animal was brought back to Hawaiʻi Island where it was released in Keaukaha.
Click on photo above to see video of turtle release posted at vimeo, password if needed: honu. Video courtesy of Rebecca Ziegler.
An injured Hawaiian green sea turtle completed a successful journey of recovery this month when it was released back into the ocean thanks to the coordinated efforts of numerous volunteers, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo students and faculty, and government agencies.
The 200-plus pound turtle was recovered at Chock’s Beach in Hilo on Oct. 14 with its flipper severely entangled in fishing line. It was transported to rehabilitation facilities on Oʻahu where its flipper was amputated. Following a period of healing and recovery, the animal was brought back to Hawaiʻi Island where it was released in Keaukaha on Dec. 3.
Among those assisting with the initial recovery of the animal were students from a UH Hilo marine science class, along with the UH Hilo Sea Turtle Stranding Response Team, members of the university’s Marine Option Program, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Jennifer Turner, who heads the UH Hilo turtle team, worked with George Balazs, a zoologist with NOAA Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center, and Shandel Brunson, a NOAA biological science technician, to ship the turtle back to Hawai’i Island. Cultural practitioners Roxanne Stewart, Kealoha Pisciotta, and Leimanana Abenes also partnered with the UH Hilo turtle team to coordinate the turtle’s release.
- Read about previous turtle rescues by UH Hilo faculty and students: July 14, 2011, UH Hilo students and professors rescue endangered sea turtle.
According to a press release about this month’s release, turtles that become entangled in fishing line often fail to survive because they are not seen, not properly reported, or the entanglement is too severe. Sick, injured or entangled turtles on Hawai’i Island can be reported to the UH Hilo Sea Turtle Stranding Response Team at 327-7780.
