Three decades of stranding data reveal insights into endangered hawksbill sea turtles in Hawai‘i&dagger
Hawksbill sea turtles Eretmochelys imbricata inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands are extremely rare and listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. The paucity of data on basic hawksbill ecology continues to hinder effective management of the species. We analyzed stranding data collected b...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Inter-Research
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Endangered Species Research |
| Online Access: | https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v47/p109-118/ |
| _version_ | 1828844559266742272 |
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| author | S Brunson AR Gaos IK Kelly KS Van Houtan Y Swimmer S Hargrove GH Balazs TM Work TT Jones |
| author_facet | S Brunson AR Gaos IK Kelly KS Van Houtan Y Swimmer S Hargrove GH Balazs TM Work TT Jones |
| author_sort | S Brunson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hawksbill sea turtles Eretmochelys imbricata inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands are extremely rare and listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. The paucity of data on basic hawksbill ecology continues to hinder effective management of the species. We analyzed stranding data collected between 1984 and 2018 to gain insights into the distribution, demography, and conservation challenges facing hawksbills in Hawai‘i. In doing so, we present a comprehensive description of the population across developmental stages and rank threats that may be impeding their successful recovery. Over the >30 yr data set, we recorded a total of only 111 juvenile and adult hawksbill stranding events. Interactions with nearshore recreational fishing gear were documented for a large proportion (48.6%) of stranding events in the Hawaiian Islands, identifying this as the primary management challenge for the species. Stranding events were biased towards females (female to male sex ratio of 4.8:1.0), which may be indicative of the population as a whole. Even though the majority of hawksbills nest on the islands of Hawai‘i Moloka‘i, and Maui, the greatest number of juvenile to adult strandings was found to be on the island of Oahu (n = 47). Temporal distribution of the majority of adult hawksbill strandings (72.2%) occurred during a 4 mo period between June and September. We discuss these and other findings that help identify future research and conservation efforts to mitigate anthropogenic threats in Hawai‘i for this enigmatic population. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T21:09:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c304ce9b4bb74bba9dda54eb9a60b683 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1863-5407 1613-4796 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T21:09:05Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | Inter-Research |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Endangered Species Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-c304ce9b4bb74bba9dda54eb9a60b6832022-12-22T00:11:57ZengInter-ResearchEndangered Species Research1863-54071613-47962022-02-014710911810.3354/esr01167Three decades of stranding data reveal insights into endangered hawksbill sea turtles in Hawai‘i&daggerS Brunson0AR Gaos1IK Kelly2KS Van Houtan3Y Swimmer4S Hargrove5GH Balazs6TM Work7TT Jones8NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96818, USANOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96818, USANOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Regional Office, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96818, USADuke University, Nicholas School of the Environment, Box 90328, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USANOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Fisheries Resources and Monitoring Division, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96818, USANOAA Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Office of Protected Resources, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, Florida 33149, USAGolden Honu Services of Oceania, 992 Awa’awa’anoa Place, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96825, USAUS Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Honolulu Field Station, 300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 5-231, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96850, USANOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Fisheries Resources and Monitoring Division, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96818, USAHawksbill sea turtles Eretmochelys imbricata inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands are extremely rare and listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. The paucity of data on basic hawksbill ecology continues to hinder effective management of the species. We analyzed stranding data collected between 1984 and 2018 to gain insights into the distribution, demography, and conservation challenges facing hawksbills in Hawai‘i. In doing so, we present a comprehensive description of the population across developmental stages and rank threats that may be impeding their successful recovery. Over the >30 yr data set, we recorded a total of only 111 juvenile and adult hawksbill stranding events. Interactions with nearshore recreational fishing gear were documented for a large proportion (48.6%) of stranding events in the Hawaiian Islands, identifying this as the primary management challenge for the species. Stranding events were biased towards females (female to male sex ratio of 4.8:1.0), which may be indicative of the population as a whole. Even though the majority of hawksbills nest on the islands of Hawai‘i Moloka‘i, and Maui, the greatest number of juvenile to adult strandings was found to be on the island of Oahu (n = 47). Temporal distribution of the majority of adult hawksbill strandings (72.2%) occurred during a 4 mo period between June and September. We discuss these and other findings that help identify future research and conservation efforts to mitigate anthropogenic threats in Hawai‘i for this enigmatic population.https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v47/p109-118/ |
| spellingShingle | S Brunson AR Gaos IK Kelly KS Van Houtan Y Swimmer S Hargrove GH Balazs TM Work TT Jones Three decades of stranding data reveal insights into endangered hawksbill sea turtles in Hawai‘i&dagger Endangered Species Research |
| title | Three decades of stranding data reveal insights into endangered hawksbill sea turtles in Hawai‘i&dagger |
| title_full | Three decades of stranding data reveal insights into endangered hawksbill sea turtles in Hawai‘i&dagger |
| title_fullStr | Three decades of stranding data reveal insights into endangered hawksbill sea turtles in Hawai‘i&dagger |
| title_full_unstemmed | Three decades of stranding data reveal insights into endangered hawksbill sea turtles in Hawai‘i&dagger |
| title_short | Three decades of stranding data reveal insights into endangered hawksbill sea turtles in Hawai‘i&dagger |
| title_sort | three decades of stranding data reveal insights into endangered hawksbill sea turtles in hawai i amp dagger |
| url | https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v47/p109-118/ |
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