Gathering Data

The places on Hawaii that have infected green sea turtles are in Kaneohe Bay, Hanauma Bay, Haleiwa Harbor, and in the ocean off the Kahala Hilton. Two possible reasons why green sea turtles are getting tumors are probably because of chemical runoff and dinoflagellates in the water.

Dinoflagellates are microscopic marine plankton. They are commonly regarded as algae. Scientists think that turtles are being exposed to benthic dinoflagellates when they eat sea grass or macro algae. The benthic dinoflagellates such as Prorocentrum make a tumor-promoting toxin known as okadaic acid. The okadaic acid has shown to induce papillomas (tumors). In an article entitled "Fibropapilloma (FP) on Bonaire" it stated "Prorocentrum can be present in tropical areas. Prorocentrum are benthic dinoflagellates that use macro algae and sea grass to substrate." So when the sea turtles eat the macro algae and sea grass, they are also eating the Prorocentrum and the toxin.

In places on Hawaii, they found that where there are high abundance of Prorocentrum on macro algae and sea grass, there is high prevalence of sea turtles with fibropapillomas. And where there are low or no Prorocentrum, there are sea turtles that don't have fibropapillomas.

Kaneohe Bay is in fact a place that has sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis. After reading an article from the Honolulu Starbulletin entitled "Tumors cripple young turtles here, in Florida," it stated that a Marine science writer named Susan Scott has seen sea turtles in Kaneohe Bay with tumors. A man who dived into the Kaneohe Bay said to Susan Scott, "I was diving in Kaneohe Bay recently and I saw a sea turtle with enormous tumors around its eyes."

Hawaii researchers examined two hundred twenty two sea turtles with tumors. The sea turtles they examined were either found dead or dying between the year of 1991 and 1995. Out of the two hundred twenty two turtles examined, one hundred thirty six turtles had tumors inside of their mouths.

Researchers did another study by capturing and examining two hundred thirty six turtles with tumors in Kaneohe Bay. After releasing them, they found that ninety-four of those turtles had tumors in their mouths.

A major reason why the green Hawaiian sea turtle is important goes way back to the old Hawaiian days before God. Each Hawaiian family had an aumakua, like a family guardian. Aumakuas were called on for protection, comfort, and spiritual support. An aumakua could take on different forms, such as a sea turtle, or any other animal or mineral. So sea turtles were important, and still are because they are known to the Hawaiians as Aumakuas. Back then all the families were cautious about accidentally eating their aumakua, for the punishment could have been death.

So even families today claim an animal, or mineral as their personal aumakua. The aumakua is still remembered, and continued with reverence and fondness by Hawaiian families. That's why sea turtles are important and cherished, not just as an aumakua, but it's also a part of Hawaii.

Right now there are a few local places such as the national marine fisheries service, the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science center, and the Honolulu Laboratory, where they help green sea turtles, or are at least try to. The leader of the Marine Turtle Research Team at the Honolulu Laboratory is George H. Balazs, a zoologist, and a turtle biologist.

The goal for the Marine Turtle Research Team is just to recover sea turtle populations to the highest number possible, to achieve biological recovery in Hawaii. Researchers are currently using some satellite-tracking technology on some of the few surviving turtles to monitor them on their survivor skills, etc.

The today the comeback of sea turtles is mostly in part of George Balazs. He helped to get turtles on the endangered species list, so now you could pay $25,000 fine, and a year in prison if you kill or harm a sea turtle because before some people were adding turtles to their diets.

Now, people are using more technology then they were ten years ago, like battery-powered transmitters that are attached to a turtle's shell using a surfboard repair kit that lasts up to several months. On East Island, Balazs put in a "Turtle Cam" a year ago, and it scans the island from a 65-foot pole, that gives him pictures, and videos of the turtles everyday.

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