Officials are reminding the public that green sea turtles remain protected in Hawaii, despite a petition to remove them from the endangered species list that was filed by the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs.

A decision is expected soon on the petition, which could launch a yearlong study of the proposal to change the status of the turtles or could simply be denied.

The petition was received March 2 by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which have joint responsibility for the species. They are supposed to make a decision within 90 days.

"We expect it any day," Pat Opay, endangered species branch chief for the Pacific Islands Regional Office of the fisheries service, said Tuesday. "The 90-day time frame is a guideline, but we do shoot for that. It will come out in the Federal Register."

Hawaii’s green sea turtles have been listed as a threatened species since 1978. But Hawaiian civic clubs contend that the population has rebounded and the state should come up with a management plan that would include the harvest of turtles for food, in keeping with Hawaiian tradition.

If the petition is accepted, the federal agencies would begin a scientific review of the species and solicit public input before making any final decision on changing its status.

In the meantime, state and federal authorities stress that the legal status of the animals has not changed.

"We want to remind the community that all sea turtles are still protected and that both state and federal consequences apply to anyone harming a green sea turtle," said William Aila Jr., chairman of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.