Categorized | Education, Environment

Hawaii Prep sea turtle research program assists with international project

MEDIA RELEASE

Marc Rice (right), director of the Sea Turtle Research Program at Hawaii Preparatory Academy, is pictured with one of the tagged hawksbill turtles at the Underwater World Singapore with (l to r) George Balazs, leader of the Marine Turtle Research Program, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA; Tomomi Saito, director of the Turtle Breeding Program at the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium; and Tiow Aun Lee, marine biologist at the Underwater World Singapore.

Marc Rice (right), director of the Sea Turtle Research Program at Hawaii Preparatory Academy, is pictured with one of the tagged hawksbill turtles at the Underwater World Singapore with (l to r) George Balazs, leader of the Marine Turtle Research Program, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA; Tomomi Saito, director of the Turtle Breeding Program at the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium; and Tiow Aun Lee, marine biologist at the Underwater World Singapore.

Marc Rice, director of the Sea Turtle Research Program at Hawaii Preparatory Academy, recently assisted with the satellite tagging and release of eight three-year-old hawksbill turtles at the Underwater World Singapore. The international project was conducted in cooperation with Underwater World Singapore, the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium in Japan, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Hawaii Preparatory Academy.

“Being part of an international project that helps raise awareness of the plight of sea turtles in this part of the world was very rewarding,” said Rice. “I am pleased that HPA could make a contribution.”

Dozens of school children and visitors attended the send-off ceremony for the young turtles at Big Sister Island. The preliminary results of the turtles’ movements will be presented at the Tenth Meeting of the Convention of the Parties Governing the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10) being held in Nagoya, Japan in October 2010.

Rice also was a guest panelist at a multidisciplinary forum hosted by Underwater World Singapore, “Turtles Toward Extinction: How Late Are We? Is It Too Late?” Professor Peter Ng, director of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, chaired the forum.

For more information, visit www.hpa.edu

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