| Summary | The Hawaiian green turtle is genetically distinct from the other green sea turtle populations, nesting primarily in the French Frigate Shoals of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and feeding in the coastal areas of the main Hawaiian Islands. This species was in a steep decline as of the 1970s because of direct harvest of both turtles and eggs by humans. The population has grown steadily over the last thirty years after protection began in 1978. |
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| Project | SESMAD |
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| Subtype | Natural Resource Unit |
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| Sector | Marine protected areas |
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| Biotic | Yes |
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| Explanation | |
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| Commons Aggregation | Population |
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| Explanation | Hawaiian sub population of Green Turtles (Central North Pacific population). More than 90% of the Hawaiian population of green turtles nests at French Frigate Shoals in the NWHI. |
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| Commons Boundaries | Somewhat unclear boundaries (2) |
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| Explanation | Known nesting and foraging grounds, but a migratory species |
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| Commons Indicator | ["Status of highly migratory species"] |
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| Explanation | |
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| Commons Unit Size | Medium (3) |
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| Explanation | Average weight of adult individual 68-190Kg |
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| Environmental Medium | Oceanic |
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| Explanation | Oceanic |
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| Inter Annual Predictability | Moderate (2) |
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| Explanation | Migratory but likely to return to particular nesting beaches every couple of years. Long-living. But vulnerable to rapid declines if threatened by human activity. |
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| Intra Annual Predictability | Moderate (2) |
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| Explanation | Availability varies according to season, but these patterns can be predicted. Also population sizes don't fluctuate too much in relation environmental factors. |
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| Commons Renewability | Renewable (1) |
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| Explanation | But slow to reproduce - low regeneration rates |
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| Productivity | Poorly productive (1) |
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| Explanation | Slow maturing, high infant mortality |
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| Commons Accessibility | Very accessible (3) |
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| Explanation | Turtles are easy to catch - intentionally or as bycatch. They are predicable with their nesting season when they and their eggs are easy to harvest |
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| Commons Heterogeneity | Moderate (2) |
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| Explanation | Distributed in tropical and sub-tropical waters. Movements within the marine environment less well understood, but known to use a wide range of broadly separated localities and habitats during their lifetimes. But considered moderate as females return to same nesting beaches. |
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| Commons Mobility | High (3) |
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| Explanation | Migratory species |
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| Commons Spatial Extent | 362000 |
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| Explanation | 362000km2 is the area of NWHI |
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| Technical Substitute | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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