Let the data determine how to protect green sea turtles

By Mike Markrich

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jul 16, 2012

~~<p>A petition in February by the Hawaiian Civic Club to the federal government to officially "delist" green sea turtles from the list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act has been met with anger by local and national environmental organizations.</p>
<p>Although the latest data from the National Marine Fisheries Service indicates green sea turtle stocks are growing at 5.7 percent per year, and that there are an estimated 61,000 turtles in Hawaii, opponents claim that the current laws, on the books since 1978, are necessary to keep fishers from once again driving the green sea turtle to the point of extinction. Perhaps it is time when considering this matter to think of delisting not as an isolated argument but as part of a larger conversation. For it raises the question of whether the same science works for everyone or whether there is a cultural bias against natural resource management decisions when they affect Native Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders.</p>
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A petition in February by the Hawaiian Civic Club to the federal government to officially "delist" green sea turtles from the list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act has been met with anger by local and national environmental organizations.

Although the latest data from the National Marine Fisheries Service indicates green sea turtle stocks are growing at 5.7 percent per year, and that there are an estimated 61,000 turtles in Hawaii, opponents claim that the current laws, on the books since 1978, are necessary to keep fishers from once again driving the green sea turtle to the point of extinction. Perhaps it is time when considering this matter to think of delisting not as an isolated argument but as part of a larger conversation. For it raises the question of whether the same science works for everyone or whether there is a cultural bias against natural resource management decisions when they affect Native Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders. Login for more...