| The
term "green" applies not to the external coloration, but
to the color of the turtle's subdermal fat. The carapace of adult
Green Sea Turtles is light to dark brown, sometimes shaded with
olive, with radiating wavy or mottled markings of a darker color
or with large blotches of dark brown.
Habitat
& Behavior:
The Green Sea Turtle is found world wide in warm
seas. In the Pacific United States (U.S.) and its territories, Green
Sea Turtles are found along the coasts of Hawai`i, American Samoa,
Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), unincorporated
U.S. island possessions, and a small resident group in San Diego
Bay, California. Individuals may occasionally be found as far north
as Alaska.
The Green Sea Turtle occupies three habitat types: open beaches,
open sea, and feeding grounds in shallow, protected waters. Upon
hatching, the young turtles crawl from the beach to the open ocean.
When their shells grow 8-10 inches long, they move to shallow feeding
grounds in lagoons, bays, and estuaries. They graze in pastures
of sea grasses or algae but may also feed over coral reefs and rocky
bottoms. Young Green Sea Turtles are omnivorous (eating both animal
and plant matter), adults are vegetarians. Growth rates seem to
vary depending on where the turtles live.
In Hawai`i, nesting occurs throughout the Hawaiian archipelago,
but over 90 percent occurs at the French Frigate Shoals in the northwestern
Hawaiian Islands. Approximately 200-700 females are estimated to
nest annually. Lower level nesting occurs in American Samoa, Guam,
CNMI, Laysan Island, Lisianski Island, and Pearl and Hermes Reef.
Past
& Present:
Green Sea Turtles and their eggs were once a food
source for native Pacific Islanders. The meat, viscera, and eggs
supplied a nutritious and succulent alternative to the more common
food sources, such as fish, birds, shellfish, coconuts, breadfruit,
and taro. The adult female turtles were especially prized due to
their large quantities of fat. The utilization of Green Sea Turtles
for food and other purposes was often under strict control, usually
from some form of island council or tribal chief.
Religious, ceremonial, and other traditional restrictions on the
capture, killing, distribution, and consumption of Green Sea Turtles
played an important role in their utilization. For example, in the
Hawaiian Islands there were families that considered the Green Sea
Turtle to be a personal family deity or "aumakua." Artistic
elements of Green Sea Turtles have also been featured prominently
in some cultures of the Pacific, such as in petroglyphs and tattoo
designs.
Green Sea Turtle populations have declined dramatically in the Pacific
islands. Overharvest of turtles and eggs by humans is by far the
most serious problem. Other threats include habitat loss, capture
in fishing nets, boat collisions, and a disease known as fibropapillomatosis.
While this species is declining throughout most of the Pacific,
in the Hawaiian Islands, Green Sea Turtles are demonstrating some
encouraging signs of population recovery after 17 years of protective
efforts.
Conservation
Efforts:
Green
Sea Turtles are listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species
Act (ESA) throughout all areas under U.S. jurisdiction. In the Pacific,
the ESA applies to Hawai`i, Guam, CNMI, American Samoa, and the
eight unincorporated U.S. islands (Midway, Wake, Johnston, Palmyra,
Kingman, Jarvis, Howland, and Baker). Inclusion of Green Sea Turtles
into the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has made it illegal to trade any
products made from this species in the U.S. and 130 other countries.
The final Recovery Plans for this species were recently completed
by the National
Marine Fisheries Service and serve as
guidance in actions to recover Green Sea Turtles.
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