Hawaiian population of sea turtles not harmed by eruption
A Big Island nonprofit has confirmed that the Kilauea eruption last year did not critically damage sea turtle populations in lower Puna.
While state and federal agencies said during the eruption that large numbers of sea turtles were not endangered by the flow of lava into the ocean, the Hawaii Wildlife Fund conducted its own survey, which concluded this month that the lava did not harm turtle populations.
Kallie Barnes, education coordinator for the Hawaii Wildlife Fund, said it conducted its own survey because of confusion following the state and federal reports.
“There were all kinds of reports that (the turtles) were trapped or stranded, driven by social media,” Barnes said.
These erroneous reports persisted, even after the state and federal reports, because of unclear findings, Barnes said. While the Department of Land and Natural Resources reportedly did not find any sea turtles in danger from the lava, they also did not report upon the condition of the turtles themselves, which did little to assuage people’s concerns about the turtles.
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Photo from Tribune-Herald.
