At SeaPics.com, I'm in a good position to learn about events and happenings related to the ocean and marine life. My photographers, who are out on the water on a daily basis, usually keep me informed. On this day, however, it was my staff, Christine and Lynn, who told me about the sea turtle tagging. They told me they needed the morning off to help further the cause of green sea turtle research. And since this event also provided a great photo opportunity, we all abandoned the office for a close-up look of Big Island's honu (Hawaiian for green sea turtle).
Down at the beach at Kaloko-Honokohau National Park, near the Honokohau Marina, a large tent was set up for the all-day tagging event. George Balazs, a prominent sea turtle researcher with the National Marine Fisheries Service (he was largely responsible for getting the green sea turtle listed as an endangered species), and Marc Rice, a teacher at Hawaii Preparatory Academy were in charge. They were being assisted by students from HPA, and by a few specially chosen volunteers, including Christine and Lynn, my two SeaPics.com employees. Christine and Lynn were able to participate because of their work with ReefTeach, a volunteer group on the Big Island. It is due to their efforts that the Reef Teachers were educated on sea turtles and now pass that information on to visitors at Kahulu'u Beach Park.
The procedure was for a group of researchers and student volunteers to go out with nets and large inner tubes to find sea turtles on the beach and in the shallows. Once found, the turtles are carefully placed into the inner tube, which has an attached bottom, then transferred to a crate on the beach for weighing. 
After weighing, each turtle is placed on a table for examination by George Balazs. The turtles are examined for injuries, disease and parasites, and they are all scanned for microchips which may have been inserted into the turtle's flipper at a previous tagging event. If no microchip is found, one is inserted. If they have a sonic transmitter attached to the shell, this is also scanned. George then measures and records the turtle's length, width and girth. The purpose of all of this is to help researchers understand the general condition of the turtles, and to see whether they are growing well and getting enough food.Before releasing the turtles back into the water, a number is inscribed onto the shell and then painted over with white paint. There are several purposes for this number. One is to provide an easy way for observers to identify the turtle in the wild. Park staff at the Kaloko-Honokohau National Park record when certain turtles are seen at particular points on the park beach, which helps researchers to understand their behavior. Another reason for the numbers is to ensure that the researchers don't continually recapture the same sea turtle during the tagging. The white paint tends to become less visible over time, as algae accumulates on the turtle shell, but there is no harmful effect on the turtle.
After all data is recorded, the turtles are released back into the ocean. Some hurry off to deeper water, while others appear content to linger. Sea turtles are not used to being handled (it's actually illegal in Hawaii for people to touch them, with the exception of this research effort) so I'm sure they were happy to be on their way.
I have lived in Kona, Hawaii for 12 years, and seen hundreds of sea turtles. To see them up close like this, and to learn about the turtle tagging effort, was a unique and valuable experience. Sea turtles are one of the symbols of Hawaii, and it's important for this type of research to take place. Sea turtles are endangered the world over (you can see the IUCN status on our SeaPics.com database). Numbers are generally increasing in Hawaii, but this poses new problems of turtles and humans competing for the same patch of sand. Thanks to the efforts of the National Marine Fisheries Service, the HPA students, and ReefTeach volunteers Lynn & Christine, Hawaiian green sea turtles stand a better chance of making it through to the next century!A special thanks to researcher George Balazs, who was kind enough to invite Lynn & Christine, and who was so informative about the sea turtle tagging. There is not one person on the beach that day who didn't come away with more knowledge and appreciation of sea turtles!
Kona Sue
Green sea turtle fact sheet & photo at SeaPics.com
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