Reporting stranded sea turtles on the West coast (Kohala/Kona) of the Big Island

Information on this page was kindly provided by:

George H. Balazs
Leader, Marine Turtle Research Program
SWFSC Honolulu Laboratory
National Marine Fisheries Service
Email: gbalazs@honlab.nmfs.hawaii.edu

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ISLAND OF HAWAII -- WEST COAST (KOHALA/KONA)
INSTRUCTIONS FOR REPORTING STRANDED SEA TURTLES
AND THE VIOLATION OF LAWS PROTECTING HAWAIIAN SEA TURTLES

A stranded sea turtle is defined as any ocean turtle found dead, injured, sick, tumored, or otherwise abnormal and sometimes even "normal" in appearance and out of the water, usually along the shoreline. The turtle may also be in very shallow water close to shore. DOCARE is a point of contact to facilitate a response. DOCARE Officers do not normally pick up stranded turtles, unless there is a law enforcement violation.

In the Kohala/Kona area of the Big Island, the correct phone numbers to report a stranded sea turtle and facilitate a response are as follows:

For suspected law enforcement violations, such as killing, harming, or harassing a turtle please call the Federal or State Enforcement offices:

For other Hawaiian Islands, please see:

• Reporting stranded sea turtles on Oahu.
• Reporting stranded sea turtles on Maui.
• Reporting stranded sea turtles on Molokai.
• Reporting stranded sea turtles on Lanai.
• Reporting stranded sea turtles on Kauai.
• Reporting stranded sea turtles on the East coast (Hilo) of the Big Island.

Important points to keep in mind

• Sea turtles are listed and protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and wildlife laws of the State of Hawaii. All sea turtles, both dead and alive, are legally protected.
• These instructions apply exclusively to sea turtles. Please do not call 911 or any other private or government organizations.
• On weekends, Federal and State holidays, and after hours, the DOCARE conservation Hotline operator will coordinate all reports of stranded turtles. This will usually involve the digital paging of on-call personnel contracted by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Due to the considerable travel distances that may be involved, and the possibility of other turtle strandings occurring at the same time, a delay in response of three hours or more may occur. Please be patient. There is no harm whatsoever for a sea turtle to be out of the water for many hours, provided it is not in direct hot sunlight. In fact, sea turtles strand because they want to and need to be out of the ocean.
• Callers should be prepared to tell exactly where the turtle is located, whether it appears to be dead or alive, and the size of the animal (estimated weight or length of shell--can one person lift it, or will two or more persons be needed?). Due to safety considerations, personnel may not travel at night to isolated unfamiliar areas.
• If the turtle returns to the water before someone arrives, this is not necessarily bad. Some turtles, even ones with tumors, want to rest ashore for a period of time and they may do this regularly (called "basking").

More information about what to do if you encounter a sick or injured sea turtle in Hawaii

The Sickbay--learn more about fibropapilloma

How You Can Help

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Last modified 08/02/16
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