Samoa Guide, 17. Turtles in trouble

Two turtle species, the green and hawksbill, are the most frequently found turtles in our local waters. The hawksbill or “laumei uga” (Eretmochelys imbricata) is usually the species that nests on Tutuila beaches. This is a solitary nester, and perhaps only 1 or 2 hawksbill females now use a suitable beach. The hawksbill is occasionally poisonous -- in the late 1950s, people in Aunu'u got very sick after eating one.

There they remain for some 20-25 years until they become sexually mature, at which time they return to the very same beach where they came from. After laying eggs there, the adult females then turn around and go back to their distant feeding grounds. That's the basic pattern for most sea turtle species throughout the world. Swim far away to some nesting beach, then swim back to their feeding area, back and forth every few years thereafter.

We have some very interesting migration data for green sea turtles at Rose Atoll (see map below), where a tagging study was conducted in the mid-1990s. In all, 10 tagged turtles were recovered after nesting at the atoll. Eight swam 800 miles directly to Fiji (unfortunately two of them were eaten when they got there). Another went past Fiji to Vanuatu, and the last one went in the completely opposite direction to French Polynesia near Tahiti.

It's understandable why the adult turtles do not stay at Rose Atoll after nesting, because their favorite food (seagrass) is absent there. But I wonder why don't they just stay in Fiji where they have both seagrass and nesting beaches.

Anyway, this pattern of large-scale movements between a turtle's nesting area and feeding area means that turtle stocks in the South Pacific Ocean are all mixed together. While some of “our” turtles were caught in Fiji, the reciprocal is also true -- turtles that feed in our waters probably originated from islands elsewhere in the South Pacific. This mixing greatly complicates conservation efforts. It means that region-wide cooperation among the island countries of the South Pacific is essential; otherwise, while we try to protect turtles in American Samoa, our turtles may be killed later when they migrate to other islands.

Tough federal and territorial laws exist in American Samoa to protect turtles and their eggs, because they are an endangered species. Depending on the circumstances, there is a $500 to $250,000 penalty and up to one year in jail, for killing a turtle or importing any turtle product into the Territory (shells, stuffed turtles, turtle combs, etc.). Fortunately fewer turtles seem to be taken in American Samoa, probably due to their scarcity but also due to outreach programs that inform children and villagers about the endangered status of the turtles.

In addition to education efforts, we must protect both the turtles and their habitat. Sandy beaches are essential for turtle nesting areas, so hauling sand away from our beaches results in the loss of critical habitat for these species. No beaches, no nesting turtles.

Although some villagers may still like to eat turtle meat and eggs, the point to remember is that turtles are a disappearing resource in American Samoa. They are a part of Samoa's heritage and need to be vigorously protected, or they may be lost altogether. It is a sad commentary that many young Samoans have never even seen a live sea turtle.

Samoans have traditionally harvested sea turtles for food, and the shell was often made into bracelets, combs, fishing hooks, and also was used in the headpiece worn by a princess during important dance ceremonies. Turtles were incorporated into Samoan songs and art, and there are even turtle petroglyphs (rock carvings) in Faga'itua and Leone. And, of course, there's the legend about the Turtle and Shark that appear in the sea at Vaitogi when villagers sing a special song.

Our other species is the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), named after the color of its fat. It is also found around our islands, but it nests primarily at Rose Atoll. These long-lived turtles have rather complicated life cycles that involve repeated long-distance migrations to and from American Samoa. They start life as eggs buried in beach sand. Once a female has laid her first group of about 100 eggs, she will return at 2-week intervals to lay more. In about 60 days, the eggs hatch and the little turtles dart into the ocean. Where they go is
not known, but eventually they take up residence at some feeding area that may be far away from American Samoa.

This drop parallels the worldwide decline of sea turtles due to overharvest, loss of nesting beaches, and incidental kills in fishing gear. Pacific populations of one of our species (hawksbills) are “rapidly approaching extinction” according to a recent scientific review.