The endangered turtles on Oahu sun on the sand as a way to maintain their body temperature, said Roger Goodwill, professor of Biology at BYU-Hawaii. “Turtles usually go onto the beach to warm up in the sun because they are cold-blooded animals,” said Goodwill. “If their bodies get too cold, their limbs will grow slow, so they need to warm up and maintain their temperature range. When people harass them, they go back into the water, limiting the time they have to warm up.” Goodwill added if they are harassed excessively, it could hurt them psychologically. he threatened green sea turtle and the endangered hawksbill sea turtle can be seen on Hawaii’s shores, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). Hawaii has placed protective laws concerning the turtles, placing them underneath the endangered species act, which protects all aquatic life, wildlife, and native Hawaiian plants, according to the Hawaii Revised Statutes (195D). This states no one should touch, feed, disturb or harass the turtles without a valid permit. Turtles can also get fibropapilloma tumors when people touch them or are exposed to pollutants. “I think it has to do with the bacteria on the hands. Humans can spread diseases to turtles,” said Michelle Bennett, a senior studying marine biology from Arizona. The tumors can grow on the turtle’s skin, internal organs, mouth and eyes, according to turtle.org. “We’re the one’s going into their space,” said Annie Racker, a sophomore studying hospitality and tourism management from Utah. “We shouldn’t be the ones messing with them and everything. They’re not damaging us. We shouldn’t touch them. Let them live their own life.”Katie Niedererr, a sophomore studying marine biology from Pennsylvania, said, “For one thing, it is the law. We live in Hawaii and turtles are very important part of Hawaii. They are an important part of the culture.”When baby turtles hatch, they orient themselves toward the light and crawl. This is a problem when there are city or car lights to disorient them, according to Goodwill, because it can cause them to go the opposite way, which can be very bad. “So we need to protect those breeding beaches,” said Goodwill. “We need to be careful of lights around those breeding beaches during hatching time. They usually hatch at night.” Another threat is sea birds also eat new turtles. “Last semester I would see [turtles] three or four times a week,” said Racker. “There’s a beach when you pass Waimea. We call it turtle beach because we always see turtles there.” Turtles are threatened by other human-related things, including illegal harvest, destruction of nesting or feeding areas, incidental capture or recreational fisheries, getting hit by boats, or trash in the ocean, according to Hawaii 24/7. If you see a turtle hurt, call the NOAA hotline (808)-725-5730 during regular office hours. After office hours, call pager numbers (808)-288-5685 or 288-0023, according to DLNR, or you could go to the NOAA sea turtle reporting website.Uploaded Aug. 27, 2015
Writer: Rachel Reed
