Viva la Tortuga!Viva la Tortuga!

IN RESPONSE TO A CONTROVERSIAL

petition to remove Hawaiian green seaturtles (known in Hawaiian as honus)

from the Endangered Species Act (ESA),Turtle Island Restoration Network mobi-lized our members to tell the NationalMarine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service to keep protections inplace for these turtles. The outpouring ofsupport was overwhelming with nearly140,000 people signing on to our counterpetition calling on the agencies to maintainhonus’ status as “threatened” under the ESA.

Thanks to members like you, this spring,Turtle Island won a major victory forhonus when the agencies announced theirdecision to side with us, and reject theanti-sea-turtle petition. The original con-troversial 2012 petition to delist honus wasfiled under the name of the Association ofHawaiian Civic Clubs, which was allegedlycreated by the pro-fishing organizationWestern Pacific Fisheries Man agementCouncil. Thankfully, the agencies sidedwith Turtle Island and announced publiclythat they did “not find delisting warranted.”

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NEWSLETTER OF TURTLE I S LAND RESTORAT ION NETWORK SEATURTLES .ORG

Green Sea Turtles(Chelonia Mydas)

Adult green turtles have a carapace(top shell) varying in color fromblack to gray to greenish or brown,often with bold streaks or spots, anda yellowish white plastron. Eachsea turtle has distinctive individualfacial markings, similar to finger-prints. They have an average weightof 300 pounds and grow to a lengthof three feet. Green sea turtles arethe most widespread species of seaturtle, residing near 139 countriesin the tropics and subtropics.

Major threats to the survival of thegreen sea turtle include:

� drownings of sea turtles inshrimp nets, tuna and swordfishlonglines and other fishing gear;

� development and destruction ofnesting beaches by humans;

� poaching of adult turtles for meat,shells, eggs and leather; and

� ocean pollution.

Learn more about these fascinatingcreatures and download a factsheetat seaturtles.org/greenfacts.

ISSUE NO. 1, 2015

continued on page 2

You Protected the Hawaiian Honu

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2 SeaTurtles.org

TODD STEINER, Executive DirectorTurtle Island Restoration Network

Letter from the Director

In their review, the agencies found thatvulnerable Hawaiian green sea turtlesneed to be protected from the threats ofclimate change and sea-level rise, whichcould potentially impact their low-lying nesting beaches. They also foundthat the honu needs to be protectedfrom other threats ranging from devel-opment to industrial fishing. Specifically,the agencies cited drift gillnets and long -lines as major threats to green sea turtles,which are often caught as bycatch.

The Federal government looked at thegreen sea turtle populations globally andclassified them into 11 separate DistinctPopulation Segments. They found allpopulations to be either “threatened’ or“endangered” under the ESA. TheHawaiian honus remain listed as “threat-ened” and there is no change to theirprotection status thanks to Turtle Islandand our members’ efforts to ensure seaturtle protections remain in place.

“We are pleased to see that Honusremain, rightly, listed as ‘threatened’under the Endangered Species Act,”said Todd Steiner, executive directorof Turtle Island Restoration Network.“Now, we need to ensure that theyare adequately protected from deadlylong line hooks and mega drift gillnetsthat trap, entangle and drown them.”

IRENE AMIET

continued from page 1

SMALL TURTLE, BIG PROBLEMS.

ONE OF THE MOST FASCINATING andalso one of the most endangered seaturtles in the world is the Kemp’s

ridley. This ancient species is the only turtlethat nests in mass during daylight hours,primarily on Mexico’s Gulf Coast. Yet itspends most of its life in the coastal waters ofthe U.S. Gulf and Eastern Seaboard, feedingon crabs and shrimp as it migrates, storing upthe nourishment it needs for its annual re-migration back to the southern Gulf to nest.

The species was brought back from the brink of extinction in the 1980sthrough the collective efforts of United States and Mexican governmentsand activists through the creation and enforcement of policies that out-lawed the killing of adults and the harvest of their eggs, and by reducingthe drowning of turtles in shrimp nets. Thanks to these protections, 30years later, the species was well on its way to recovery.

Then came the devastating BP oil spill five years ago. Since then, the pop-ulation of endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles has been on the decline.The situation became even more severe when a record-breaking massstranding occurred in 2014, stranding more than 1,300 cold-stunnedturtles along the Eastern seaboard.

Without the use of TEDs, it is likely that more than 60,000 sea turtles ofvarious species would drown every year in U.S. waters (the majority in theGulf of Mexico). Today, most turtles that drown in Louisiana waters arewashed up on the Texas coast due to currents. Sadly, one is more likely toencounter a dead turtle than see the magnificent animals repeat their nest-ing ritual.

Now more than ever, these small sea turtles need U.S. and internationalsupport to get back on the path of recovery. Louisiana should followMexico’s lead in increasing protection for sea turtles.

It is time for Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to take a lesson fromMexico, Texas and the other U.S. Gulf states and begin to enforce TEDlaws and create a no-shrimping, marine protected area in Louisiana waters.

The fate of the Kemp’s ridley at this critical juncture may determine oneof Jindal’s most important environmental legacies as the American publicconsiders his viability as a contender in the 2016 presidential race. To readan op-ed I recently co-authored with Mexico’s most prominent conserva-tionist, Homero Aridjis, on this issue, visit SeaTurtles.org/homeroaridjis

Viva La Tortuga!

A Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, known as aHonu, basks in the sun on a Hawaiian beach.

3

SARGASSUM IS A TYPE OF SEAWEED

found in the Sargasso Sea, forwhich it is named, in the North

Atlantic Ocean. Large mats of sargas-sum often break off, and with the helpof ocean currents, drift to the Gulf ofMexico. Here the sargassum decoratesTexas beaches where it provides wel-come habitat for hatchlings, but is oftenviewed as a nuisance by the tourismindustry that wants to present visitorswith clean, white, seaweed-free beaches.

This Spring, Texas A&M UniversityGalveston, NASA Stennis Space Center,and the Galveston Parks Board hosteda two-day symposium on sargassum toopen the dialogue and bring togetherdiverse stakeholders. The symposiumcentered around understanding boththe benefits and the issues that arisewhen sar gassum makes landfall onTexas beaches.

Turtle Island’s Associate Director of theGulf of Mexico Joanie Steinhaus pre-sented on the importance of sargassumto sea turtles in the open ocean. Shetold attendees how hatchlings andjuvenile sea turtles use the sargassum asa place to hide from predators, rest andfind food. She also shared how it is animportant food source to an assortmentof migratory species such as tuna,whales and birds.

“My goal is to work with the tourismindustry, monitor beach cleaning activityand ensure that it has minimal impacton sea turtles,” Steinhaus said. The sym-posium was one of several ways TurtleIsland is working to ensure all beachcleanups safeguard sea turtle hatchlingsand incorporate all best practices forsea turtle protection.

The Texas state sea turtle, the Kemp’sridley, nests on Texas and Mexicobeaches from April to mid-July. FemaleKemp’s ridleys reach sexual maturityaround 10-12 years of age, and nestroughly every one to three years, layingone to three clutches of eggs each nest-ing season. Sadly, funding cuts to a stateprogram to monitor their nesting sea-son left the monitoring and protectionof the world’s smallest sea turtle inquestion on the Upper Texas Coast.

In response, Turtle Island’s on-the-ground staff in our Sea Turtle ActionCenter in Galveston, Texas quicklymobilized and organized over 120 ded-

icated volunteers to patrol for sea tur-tles. Volunteers began walking beachesalong the Upper Texas Coast on April1 looking for nesting sea turtles, turtletracks or evidence of nests in the dune.

Even if you are not part of the officialvolunteer team, all residents and visitorsto the Texas coast can help look fornesting Kemp’s ridley sea turtles andreport any findings by calling 1-866-turtle5 (866-887-8535).

SeaTurtles.org

(Lepidochelys Kempii)

APPEARANCE:

� The Kemp’s Ridley is thesmallest of all sea turtles.

� The shell ranges in color fromolive to gray-green and is heartshaped.

� Weight: 90 lbs. Length: 2ft.

DIET: Crabs, shrimp, and fish.

HABITAT:

� Coastal areas, bays, and lagoons.

� Mostly found in the Gulf ofMexico, but they can be foundmigrating up and down theAtlantic Coast.

NESTING:

� Females only nest in the Gulfof Mexico.

� Only sea turtle that consistentlynests during the day.

� Sexual maturity reached from11-35 year.

� They nest in mass. The femalesall wait in the waters along thebeach and, on some unknowncue, emerge from the sea all atonce in what is known as anarribada or arrival in Spanish.

Visit seaturtles.org/education toview useful resources like thesefact cards, and find fun scienceand nature-based learning activi-ties for all ages.

Kemp’s RidleySea Turtle Wild -life Fact Card

Beach Volunteers

Sargassum Symposium

Sargassum is a life source for endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle hatchlings.

RON WOOTEN

4

EACH WINTER ALONG THEWEST

COAST, an amazing naturalphenomenon occurs as coho

salmon make their arduous journeyfrom the ocean to local freshwaterstreams to spawn. Located just 45minutes north of San Francisco in thewooded Lagunitas Creek Watershed inwestern Marin County, endangered,wild, Central California Coastal cohosalmon swim upstream, jumping water-falls along the way, as they seek theirnatal tributaries where they were born.Once home, the salmon spawn toregenerate their species, and then die.The nutrients in their bodies nourishthe creek and surrounding redwoodforest ecosystem.

The Lagunitas Creek Watershed sup-ports the largest remaining run ofendangered coho salmon, yet sadly thiswatershed has been degraded by devel-opment and human disturbance, whichincreases erosion in the streams andchanges the natural landscape.

Turtle Island’s Salmon Protection AndWatershed Network (SPAWN) pro-gram works to restore this degradedhabitat in order to save coho salmon, akeystone species, from extinction. Oneof SPAWN’s recent projects is restoring

Larson Creek, which runs through theSan Geronimo Golf Course. SPAWNhas restored over 25,000 square feet ofriparian habitat, including 735 feet ofstreamside degradation. We added sixlarge woody debris structures, logs andsticks, that provide essential shadedhabitat for juvenile coho salmon.SPAWN also planted over 850 plantsthat were grown locally in our NativePlant Nursery. These plants will aid inerosion control, and reduce invasiveplant takeover that can change theentire landscape.

SeaTurtles.org

Golf Course Restoration Saves Coho Salmon Habitat

These 100% organic cotton t-shirts are made in the U.S. Black with white tribal turtle design

Available in Men’s and Women’s sizesS, M, L and XL (women's sizes run small).

$25 (please add $3 for shipping):

Order online on our secure server at SeaTurtles.org/Shop, call us during business hours at 1-800-859-7283or send a check to: Turtle Island, PO Box 370, Forest Knolls, CA 94933

Sea Turtle T-Shirt $25 Coho salmon make their journey from

the ocean to freshwater streams to spawn.

5

WHOEVER SAID TURTLES wereslow clearly never met Ginathe green sea turtle.

Between February 1 and February 22,Gina, a juvenile sea turtle originallycaptured in Cocos Island MarineNational Park in 2011 by a team ofTurtle Island and PRETOMAresearchers, traveled 310 miles—orroughly 15 miles per day—to seekrefuge in the Golfo Dulce on themainland of Costa Rica.

But Gina’s destination was even moreimportant than her journey. Gina is thefirst sea turtle to be detected in bothCocos Island and Golfo Dulce, estab-lishing biological connectivity between

these two marine habitats.

Although other endangered green tur-tles in Cocos Island National Park havebeen tracked migrating towards thecoast of Central America before, Ginais the first to be detected in the feedinggrounds of Golfo Dulce. This finding,scientists say, has implications formarine conservation policy.

“Our mission is to use this scientificdata to understand sea turtles’migratory routes and then advocatefor protected swimways to ensurethese endangered species are notvictims of industrial fishing practiceslike longlining,” said Todd Steiner,executive director of Turtle Island.

Join Turtle Island’s upcoming scuba div-ing research expedition to Cocos Island,Costa Rica as a citizen scientist and bea part of the team making ground-breaking discoveries that will lead tothe creation of protected underwatersuper highways for turtles and othermarine wildlife. Visit SeaTurtles.org/expeditions to learn more.

IN EARLY APRIL, American Airlinesannounced via Twitter that theywill no longer ship shark fins on

any of their flights, including USAirways flights.

The change, according to a tweet fromthe world’s largest airline group, wentinto effect on March 4th.

The announcement comes after TurtleIsland Restoration Network andPRETOMA found evidence thatAmerican Airlines planes were export-ing scalloped hammerhead shark finsfrom Costa Rica on planes destined forHong Kong by way of stops on U.S.soil. This is illegal under theEndangered Species Act.

With this evidence in hand, Turtle Islandbegan negotiations with AmericanAirlines to convince the carrier to banshark fin shipments on their planes.

“To see American Airlines, a major U.S.airline with extensive influence, pub-

licly acknowledge that they are nolonger going to be shipping shark finsis incredible,” said Joanna Nasar, com-munication manager for Turtle IslandRestoration Network.“It is what wehave been working towards formonths, and I applaud them for doingthe right thing and hope it will inspireother carriers to take action.”

Turtle Island and PRETOMA alsofound evidence that other airline carri-

ers and shipping companies are ship-ping shark fins.

In China and many parts of Asia sharkfins are considered a delicacy, fetchingprices up to $400 per kilogram; thoughbanned in many parts of the world,global trade is still valued at over $1 bil-lion and an estimated 73 million sharksare killed annually, mainly for their fins.Take action at SeaTurtles.org/nofinsonboard.

Gina’s Journey

“Don’t Fly Fins” Campaign Takes Off–American AirlinesAnnounces They Will No Longer Ship Shark Fins

SeaTurtles.org

NOAAROY KIMHI

6 SeaTurtles.org

Adopt a Nest of Sea Turtle HatchlingsAdopt-a-Nest Package Includes:. Personalized adoption certificate . Sea turtle window decal . Sea turtle fact sheets . Viva La Tortuga! newsletter. Optional Antique Brass Pendant or Felted Wool HatchlingRegular Nest—$45

Special Nest with Antique Brass Pendant—$60

Special Nest with Felted Wool Hatchling—$75

When you order online, you can download a gift certificate immediately to give to your loved one so they know their Adopt-a-Nest package is on the way.Order online at SeaTurtles.org/Adopt.

Shop at the Sea Turtle Store

Approximately 2” long and made of genuine lead-free pewter. Comes on an 18" braided black vinyl cord.

$21 each (includes shipping):

Order online on our secure server at SeaTurtles.org/Shop

Call us during business hours at 1-800-859-7283

Send a check to Turtle Island, PO Box 370, Forest Knolls, CA 94933.

Hammerhead Shark & Whale Shark Pendants $21

Leave a Legacyfor the Sea Turtles

Join TurtleIsland’s MonthlyGiving Program

THROUGH A BEQUEST toTurtle Island Restora tionNetwork in your will and

other estate plans, you can leave alegacy for sea turtles, sharks,salmon and the oceans.

Visit SeaTurtles.org/BequestGiftor contact us at info@Sea Turtles.org or 1-800-859-7283 for infor-mation on including a bequest toTurtle Island in your will, addinga simple codicil to your existingwill, and other ways to givethrough your estate. Any infor-mation discussed is confidential.

A professional financial advisormay be able to help you identifyadditional ways to provide youwith tax benefits, as well as helpprotect the earth’s oceans andwildlife. Thank you for consider-ing this important way to give.

HELP US TAKE SWIFT,sustained and innovativeaction by participating

in our Monthly Giving Program.By making a monthly recurringdonation to Turtle Island Restora -tion Network you can make ahuge impact with a small monthlydonation! Choose a species orprogram to support, or let us useyour tax-deductible contributionwhere it is needed most.

Donate just $5 a month or moreand we will thank you with aTurtle Island baseball cap madefrom 100% organic cotton.

You can cancel or change theamount of your donation any-time. Use the enclosed envelopeto join, or go online toSeaTurtles.org/Monthly.

Meet the Interns SHAWNA KELLY, Fundraising and Habitat RestorationIntern—B.S. Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, UCDavis

YANI POHL, Fundraising and Habitat Restoration Intern—B.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Science, UC Santa Cruz

MICHAEL RHODES, Smolt Monitoring Intern—B.S. Environmental Studies, University of Pittsburgh

AIMEE POLEKOFF, Education and Outreach Intern—B.A. Geoscience, Franklin and Marshall College

ZEPHYR SYLVESTER, Smolt Monitoring Intern—B.S. Environmental Studies, Whitman College

ANNIE HINES, Habitat Restoration Intern—B.A SpanishLanguage and Literature, Loyola Marymount University

GLORIA DICKIE, Environmental CommunicationsIntern—B.A Media, Technology and Geography, Universityof Western Ontario. Pursuing M.A. in Journalism, Universityof Colorado, Boulder.

7SeaTurtles.org

DOUG PERRINE IS A RENOWNED wildlife photogra-pher, a marine biologist, and a generous Turtle IslandRestoration Network member and donor. Over the

past 20 years, Doug has provided the use of dozens of his pho-tos of sea turtles, dolphins, whales and other marine wildlife.“Photographs of marine animals are one of the best ways tohelp people to care for these species,” he says.

Though educated as a fisheries biologistat the University of Miami, Dougdecided to focus on wildlife photogra-phy. His award-winning photos, pub-

lished in nearly every major nature media outlet, are availablethrough Seapics.com, which he founded. Turtle Islandextends sincere thanks to Doug Perrine for his generouscontributions to our successful campaigns.

Donor Spotlight: Doug Perrine

TURTLE ISLAND recentlywelcomed Julie OwenHanft to our board of

directors. Julie brings expertisein two areas that are both criti-

cal to protecting endangered marine wildlife and their habi-tats. Through her current career in environmental education,Julie brings essential skills to help craft Turtle Island programsthat prepare young people as future stewards to protect seaturtles, dolphins and other species. Julie is currently an enthu-siastic educator of elementary and middle school students atthe Walrdorf-inspired Greenwood School in Mill Valley, CA.Additionally, she founded Marin GreenPlay, a nature awarenesssummer camp, as well as the Marin Open Garden Project.

Julie is also a practicing attorney, and has worked as a federallaw clerk and commercial litigator. Her legal backgroundinforms her work to help support and develop Turtle Island’sadvocacy and legal action program. Julie holds degrees fromBarnard College and the University of Miami Law School aswell as certificates in Natural History, Environmental Scienceand Sustainable Practices, and she completed the Environ -mental Forum of Marin. She also became a CertifiedCalifornia Naturalist through Turtle Island’s program offeredin partnership with the University of California. We are verypleased to welcome Julie Owen Hanft onto our board andlook forward to engaging her wide range of skills to help pro-tect oceans and wildlife!

Board Member Spotlight: Julie Hanft

Left to Right: Michael Rhodes, Shawna Kelly, Aimee Polekoff, Yani Pohl FIND INTERNSHIPS AT SEATURTLES.ORG/INTERN

TURTLE ISLAND RESTORATION NETWORK is proudto help train the next generation of environmentaliststhrough our internship program. Get to know our

interns!

Turtle Island Restoration NetworkP.O. Box 370Forest Knolls, CA 94933

in this issue:Happy Hawaiian Honus

Follow Sea Turtle Gina’s Travels

Fly Fin Free

Beach Patrols Start in the Gulf of Mexico

Viva la Tortuga!Issue No. 1, 2015Newsletter of Turtle Island Restoration Network

DESIGN: DANIELA SKLAN | HUMMINGBIRD DESIGN STUDIO

THE SEA TURTLE RESTORATION PROJECT was founded more than 25years ago, and is a conservation initiative of Turtle Island, a leadingadvocate for the world’s oceans and marine wildlife.

Our work is based on science, fueled by people who care, and effective at cat-alyzing long-lasting positive change that protects the likes of green sea turtlesand steelhead trout.

Our mission is to mobilize people in local communities around the world toprotect marine wildlife and the oceans and inland watersheds that sustain them.

We accomplish our mission through grassroots empowerment, consumeraction, strategic litigation hands-on restoration, environmental education, andby promoting sustainable local, national and international marine policies.Learn more at SeaTurtles.org.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Donna Howe (Chair), Carole Allen, Barb Andrews,Randall Arauz, Julie OwenHanft, Rick Misuraca, Wallace J. Nichols, Debbie Sivas,Jim Spotila, Todd Steiner(Executive Director).

About the Sea Turtle Restoration ProjectA Conservation Initiative of Turtle Island Restoration Network

Contact Us:

CALIFORNIA HEADQUARTERSP.O. Box 370, Forest Knolls, CA 94933phone 415-663-8590 or 800-859-7283fax 415-663-9534e-mail info@SeaTurtles.orgwebsite www.SeaTurtles.org

LATIN AMERICA OFFICERandall Arauz (Costa Rica)phone 011-506-2241-5227email rarauz@pretoma.org

GULF OF MEXICO OFFICE2228 Broadway, Galveston, Texas 77550phone 409-795-8426 email joanie@seaturtles.org