Waikoloa Hilton Field Work

 1/30/24

Laura Jim, Marc Rice and 7 HPA STRP students traveled to the Waikoloa Hilton on Tuesday (1/30/24) to capture, tag and conduct a health assessment on resident honu that spend time in the "lagoon" at the Hilton Hotel.  We arrived at the hotel at 0730 and began transporting our equipment to the lagoon area.  We were set up and ready to work by 0845 and Ms. Jim and the capture team began the in-water work. 

Two middle school students joined us to learn about the program and participate in the field work.  They are hoping to be able to complete the training necessary to become part of the HPA Sea Turtle Research Program.

The area between the two arrow is the lagoon area where turtles reside.  This day, a number of them were feeding back in the area behind the bridge on the right of the picture.  The waterfall, where honu often gather to feed was not running and there were very few honu in that area.

Over the course of the day, Ms. Jim and here team were able to capture 15 honu and we measured, weighed, tagged and did a health assessment on all of them ... we were finished by ~1445.  There were lots of hotel guest and interested onlookers and the HPA team did a great job of informing people about what we were doing and why it is so important.  

Of the 15 honu captured, 6 were recaptures and 9 were new captures.  The honu ranged in size from 40 cm (18 lbs) to 66 cm (84 lbs).  

SIX of the 15 turtles were recaptures and we had data from the previous capture so we could calculate a growth rate (cm/yr).

Below are photos taken during the day.

Setting up our working area.. the tide was a little high but dropping

Getting all the equipment out and organized... the tide has dropped already.

The capture team bringing in the first honu of the day.

Turtle H173 was a recapture from our last trip to the Hilton on 2/7/23.  It had grown about 1 cm in 1 year.

The THE team releases a honu while hotel guests watch.

Keeping control of a honu and preparing to put in in the carrier for release.

Painting a number on a honu as part of the Honu Count program operated by NOAA.

Recording data and looking at the Caulerpa algae that honu in the area like to feed on.

The team releases a honu after it has been worked up.

The HPA capture team heads out for another honu.

Charlott brings in the smallest honu of the day.

Catherine and Fischer take a honu out for release.

H 244 is ready for release.

Carefully putting our largest turtle into a carrier for release.

Releasing honu number HA 72.

The HPA STRP team after a hard days work!