2nd ASEAN Symposium and Workshop on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. Click here

World’s first Trans-Boundary Marine Park between Sabah, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Introduction to the Turtle Island Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA)

History in the Development Of The Sabah - Philippines TIHPA

Management Objectives of the TIHPA

Institutional arrangements

Key Initiatives

Educational Goals Initiative Marked For Critical Funding

Research Objectives and Strategies

Economic Opportunities

Expected Deliverables

News Around the Region

Sharp decline in Turtle population

Turning to a Turtle Haven

2nd ASEAN Symposium and Workshop on
Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation

SESSION 3: Beyond the Beach....

ABSTRACTS

Over 10 summers (1988-1998), we have used underwater photography and video to document the expression of fibropapillomatosis in individual turtles at Honokowai, Maui, in the Hawaiian Islands. Approximately 200 turtles of all sizes have been identified, 37% of which have been sighted in more than one summer. Of these, over 70% have or have had FP.

By examining the visual record and applying a tumour scoring system developed in Hawaii, we were able to show moderate to complete regression in a significant percentage (over 30%) of the afflicted turtles that we have sighted in more than one summer. This presentation demonstrates the methods used to identify the turtles and to process the images that constituted our evidence. We describe how the resulting data were captured and analyzed using a database, and present the results. Finally, we provide graphic examples of regression in several turtles that we have known over the years.