June 2 track update

Green sea turtles Kumiko and Magas are on the move! Here is their June 2, 2011 satellite track update. 2007 deployments from Guam resulted in migrations to Japan and Philippines. Where will these turtles go?

Saipan’s First Satellite Tagged Turtle Makes Tracks

Joe Ruak & Jessy Hapdei 

apply a satellite tag to 

an adult green turtle
Photo- Tammy Summers

In a project supported by the CNMI Department of Lands & Natural Resources (DLNR) and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) a satellite tag was deployed May 25, 2011 on a green sea turtle within Bird Island Marine Sanctuary, Saipan.  This nesting turtle was chosen to be the first satellite tagged turtle in Saipan’s history!  Upon release early Wednesday morning, the turtle crawled back into the Philippine Sea with her new hardware fiber-glassed to the back of her shell.  The turtle’s name is Kumiko, in dedication and memorial to a volunteer and friend to the CNMI Sea Turtle Program who passed away after a fight with cancer on the same evening this turtle emerged to nest.  NOAA contractor Tammy Summers said “we thought it was an appropriate name not only to honor Kumiko’s legacy of helping sea turtle conservation, but also as a tribute to her Japanese ancestral roots and recognition of  hardships that the Japanese people have endured these past months.”  Only time will tell where this turtle is headed.  Turtles satellite tagged by the Guam Division of Aquatic & Wildlife Resource staff in 2007 traveled to the Philippines and Japan. Sea turtles that nest in the CNMI only stay long enough to mate and lay several nests and are off again to their next destination: foraging grounds.  These foraging grounds are places where turtles find food and shelter for several years until they return to their nesting grounds to lay eggs on Saipan beaches again.  Satellite tags are radio transmitters that send signals to satellites orbiting earth.  Information from the satellite is then relayed to computers via the ARGOS system. Scientists then plot 

A surprised Kumiko Furokawa
volunteers to help CNMI DLNR staff
during nearshore surveys in Rota.
Photo-Lynne Michael

tracks and produce maps showing the migration routes of each tagged turtle.  Satellite tagging provides immediate and detailed information on turtle movements, dive time, and water temperature, showing the actual route taken to foraging areas by turtles after nesting.  Once Kumiko has left Saipan’s nesting grounds and her tag is registered online; scientists, schoolchildren, and members of the community alike will be able to track her progress on www.ihaggan.com.  Future plans for the CNMI DLNR Sea Turtle Program include deploying two more satellite tags this nesting season, involving community participants such as Kagman High School Marine Biology Club members and Turtle Advocate & Guardian Society (TAGS) volunteers.  The next satellite tagged turtles will be given Chamorro and Carolinian names suggested by local students.  We hope to use the information gained from this study not only as a teaching tool for students, but to further CNMI sea turtle conservation efforts.  The DLNR Sea Turtle Program looks forward to partnering with international agencies that are responsible for managing turtle issues in their foraging grounds, wherever they may be, to ensure protection of these species at home and abroad.                  

By:  Tammy Summers, NOAA Contract Biologist

MIST Turns One!!

Its amazing to think a year has already passe, but MIST is now officially one year old. Thanks to all who've been following and providing input.  With the new year upon us, nesting season is about to begin again. We'll keep you posted as volunteer opportunities arise to help out with beach/nest monitoring. Also don't forget, you can always report a sighting or submit images to the BioSearch Program.
http://www.cnmicoralreef.net/biosearch/biosearch.htm

Myrtle (the turtle of course) Battles Climate Change

A new book is available that discusses the challenges that climate change pose for sea turtles. Though written for Torres Islander's children, the book is general enough to have relevance for most classes in the Pacific.
Download a pdf of the book at:
http://www.coralcoe.org.au/edures/myrtleclimatechange.pdf

The book's full citation- should you want to order the actual book-  is:
Fuentes (2010) Myrtle's battle against climate change. Reef and Rainforest Research Centre Limited, Cairns, Australia (22pp.). ISBN 978-1-921359-42-2 (pbk.)

More outreach materials are available at
http://www.coralcoe.org.au/edures.html

Sea turtle status and conservation efforts in the NMI

Reprinted from the Marianas Variety, Jan 18, 2010. Link to the original article at:
http://www.mvariety.com/2011011733495/local-news/sea-turtle-status-and-conservation-efforts-in-the-nmi.php

(CNMI Sea Turtle Conservation Program) — There has been a recent flurry of activity in the news lately regarding sea turtles and associated court cases. This is a brief update regarding sea turtle status in the CNMI and a summary of current activities of the Department of Land and Natural Resources Sea Turtle Research and Conservation Program.

Sea turtles are a long-lived species with a complex life history. They undertake wide-ranging, international migrations and reach maturity (age at first reproduction) at about 30 years of age.  This life cycle leaves turtles vulnerable to multiple sources of mortality or impacts (harm) ranging from natural environmental causes to human- caused impacts from development, disease, fisheries, or direct harvest.

The status of green turtles in the Mariana Archipelago is not well known due to the lack of long-term data on nesting and foraging populations. “Long-term” data in this case means population information ranging over the species lifespan, or about read more....

Additional information

Volunteer with the Sea Turtle Program:
664-6026/ haggan@pacmares.com info@pacmares.com
CNMI Sea Turtle Conservation Program:
664-6024/ info@pacmares.com
Report harassment or capture of turtles:
DLNR Enforcement 664-6030/898-3570
Rota DLNR 532-9494/5
Tinian DFW 433-1404/1
On the web: http://www.pacmares.com/stp/Welcome.html  
www.ihaggan.com

NOAA Sea Turtle Coordinator Sets the Record Straight

NOAA NMFS PIRO (google that!) Sea Turtle Recovery Coordinator Irene Kelly provided a clear overview of the state of understanding about our local sea turtle populations and threats to their recovery in the Marianas. Though published in the Saipan Tribune in May, its worth revisiting as a recent survey of CNMI residents by Pacific Marine Resources Institute showed that the current, available information is not reaching the general public-- an issue that the letter to the editor highlighted. Click here to see the full article.

Sea Turtle Film Showing at American Memorial Park

First Friday Films, a partnership between Division of Environmental Quality and National Park Service, sponsors screenings of environmental films at American Memorial Park on the first Friday of every month. This month (Dec. 3, 7 pm) FFF is featuring a short film on hawskbill sea turtle conservation efforts by several communities in Solomon Islands as well as a locally produced film on the Fanihi or Marianas fruitbat. Visit the FFF's Blog for details.