1. Alesa Hughson, Brendan Goethe, Jacob Lee

2. Endangered Species Act Signed by President Nixon in 1973 United States Fish and Wildlife Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

3. Disease (Fibropapillomatosis) Accidental Capture in Fishing Gear Poaching Egg Harvesting

4. “…all Federal departments and agencies shall seek to conserve endangered species…” Protection from take, safe activities, funding, recovery plans Protects all plants and animals on Endangered Species list, and habitats

5. Amendments to make more efficient, less pricey Expanded, funding increased under Reagan Moratorium under Clinton, lifted after one year

6. Very effective Fewer extinctions, upward population trends, habitat saving/rehabilitation Slow process, time will tell

7. Circumtropical = very long migrations Hawaiian populations tend to stick around, both males and females return to bask One of five sea turtle species in Hawaii Hawksbill, Leatherback, Loggerhead, and Olive Ridley

8. Adults are herbivorous; eat algae and sea grass Juveniles eat jellyfish, crabs, sponges, snails, and worms Main predators are tiger sharks

9. Family: Cheloniidae Grows 71-153 cm head-tail; can weigh up to 205 kg Can live 75 years in captivity Sexual maturity at 10-24 years

11. Mating occurs about a km from shore Males have large claws on their front flippers to grasp the shells of females Females crawl ashore, dig nest, and lay about 200 eggs Few turtles survive to maturity

12. Their numbers have come back since becoming a protected species Some sea turtles have shown signs of that they may be reaching carrying capacity in certain areas

13. M. Chaloupka, G. Balazs, T. Work Monitored prevalence of fibropapillomatosis in a population of Green Turtles at Palaau (Molokai, HI) Capture-mark-recapture; flipper tag / transponder tag

14. Disease levels peaked in mid 90s Levels have been steadily declining Diseased turtles can get better

15. Disease associated with alphaherpesvirus Could be caused by a foraging environment Hawaiian population could have developed immunity

16. Chaloupka M, Balazs GH, Work TM. (Oct 2009). Rise and fall over 26 years of a marine epizootic in Hawaiian green sea turtles. Retrieved from http://www.jwildlifedis.org/content/45/4/1138.full.pdf+html http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/green.htm "Chelonia mydas". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved February 21, 2007. Seminoff (2004). Chelonia mydas. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 09 May 2006.

17. Studies conducted over 30 years at East Island, French Frigate Shoals Estimates incredibly accurate

18. Dramatic population increase, could be approaching capacity Largely because female nesters thriving Study suggests recovery plan goals are met

20. Dennis J. Russel and George H. Balazs Green turtles have shifted their to diets to include nonnative plants Assisted rebound? Study focused on algae growing in Kane’ohe Bay on the Island of Oahu

21. Samples were collected from the crops of dead turtles (372 samples from 31 locations) A 50mL sample was taken from each turtle, preserved, and then analyzed microscopically Sample was then suspended and poured into a petri plate and examined with a stereomicroscope Plant fragments were sorted into squares, these were counted and converted to percentages

22. Acanthophora spicifera, (a nonnative algae) was found in 64% of the samples No native algae or sea-grass was found over 100 times Transition started in 1980s, short time to change diet

23. Abundance might not be the only reason for the shift Still plenty of native algae, why shift? Nutrition is important Importance of protecting the green turtle’s habitat

24. Chelonia mydas Green Turtle. (n.d.). In Animal Diversity Web University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved from http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Chelonia_my das/ Russell, D.J. Balazas, G.H. (2009). Dietary Shifts by Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Kane'ohe Bay Region of the Hawaiian Islands: A 28-Year Study. Pacific Science, vol 63, no. 2, 181-192. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/219877281/fulltext/13D2DC C657A61F88422/4?accountid=26228 Balaza, G.H., & Ellis, D.M. (2005). Satellite Telemetry Of Migrant Male and Female Turtles Breeding In The Hawaiian Islands. Retrieved from http://www.turtles.org/ffs/migrate/ffsmigrt.htm