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Vol. 63, 2024
(update: 2024.3.22)
Four Decades of Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Strandings on
Hawai‘i Island (1983–2022): Causes and Trends
Skylar
Dentlinger1 , Karla J. McDermid2,*,
Grady Weyenberg3, Laura M. R. Jim4,
Marc R. Rice5, and George H. Balazs6
doi:-
1Department
of Marine Science, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720,
USA. Current address: Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric
Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33149, USA. E-mail:
skylarde@hawaii.edu (Dentlinger)
2Department of Marine Science, University of Hawai‘i
at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii 96720, USA. *Correspondence: E-mail:
mcdermid@hawaii.edu (McDermid)
3Department of Mathematics, University of Hawai‘i at
Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii 96720, USA. *Correspondence: E-mail:
gradysw@hawaii.edu (Weyenberg)
4Sea Turtle Research Program, Hawai‘i Preparatory
Academy, Kamuela, Hawaii 96743, USA. E-mail: laura.jim@hpa.edu (Jim)
5Sea Turtle Research Program, Hawai‘i Preparatory
Academy, Kamuela, Hawaii 96743, USA. E-mail: mrice@hpa.edu (Rice)
6Golden Honu Services of Oceania, Honolulu, Hawaii,
USA. E-mail: itsahonuworld@hotmail.com (Balazs)
(Received 11 January 2023 /
Accepted 11 March 2024 / Published -- 2024)
Communicated by Benny K.K. Chan
The Hawaiian population of green
turtles (Chelonia mydas) has increased since Federal and State
protections were implemented in the mid 1970s, and reported stranding
events have also increased. This study analyzed Hawai‘i Island data:
stranding location, date, size, sex, presence/ absence of tumors,
stranding status, as well as cause of stranding. A total of 754
stranded green turtles were reported from 1983–2022: 379 stranded on
the east (windward) coast of Hawai‘i Island and 375 on the west
(leeward) coast. Strandings peaked in 2011 and 2018 and were highest
from March to August. The most common known cause of stranding was
hook-and-line fishing gear (21.4% of total strandings), followed by
fibropapillomatosis (7.2%), human take (4.4%), miscellaneous (3.7%),
boat impact (3.3%), shark attack (3.2%), and net (2.1%); however, 54.8%
of strandings had no known cause. Statistical modeling did not provide
convincing evidence of temporal changes in the distribution of
strandings across three consolidated cause categories: human-caused;
predation, disease, and weather; and unknown. Stranded turtles on east
Hawai‘i Island had a higher frequency of fibropapillomatosis, whereas
west Hawai‘i stranded turtles showed higher incidence of shark attacks.
These results provide the first comprehensive analyses of stranding
data from Hawai‘i Island and provide information that can inform
resource managers, policy makers, and the public about the various
types and magnitudes of impacts, anthropogenic and natural, to green
turtles so that mitigation measures can be put into practice. Our
findings allow for comparison with other green turtle populations
worldwide.
Key words: Sea turtles, Fishing gear
entanglement, Fibropapillomatosis, Hawaiian Islands, Marine reptile
mortality, Pacific Ocean
Citation: Dentlinger S, McDermid KJ,
Weyenberg G, Jim LMR, Rice MR, Balazs GH. 2024. Four decades of green
turtle (Chelonia mydas)
strandings on Hawai‘i Island (1983–2022): Causes and trends. Zool Stud 63:16.
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