ESR prepress abstract  -  doi: 10.3354/esr00101

ABSTRACT: To examine the stock composition of Hawaiian foraging populations and evaluate current life-history hypotheses, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences from immature and adult green turtles that forage around the Hawaiian Islands were compared to potential source (nesting) populations across the Pacific. We examined the stock composition of the feeding ground (FG) populations at 5 index sites across the Hawaiian Archipelago as well as animals stranded in areas outside these index sites. Six haplotypes, based on mtDNA sequences, were observed among the 788 green turtles sampled around the Hawaiian Islands. Stock mixture analysis shows that the Hawaiian FG populations comprise 1 genetic stock derived from the nesting population at French Frigate Shoals (FFS), based on a mean estimate of 99.9% from FFS as opposed to other potential source stocks. We identified only 3 turtles with haplotypes not found at FFS, indicating that Hawaiian FGs might occasionally, albeit rarely, be visited by animals from rookeries outside the Hawaiian Archipelago, both in the eastern and western Pacific. These findings lead us to conclude that the numerous foraging aggregations around the Hawaiian Islands can be considered part of a distinct regional population for management purposes. The finding that populations from FGs scattered across a distance of over 2000 km belong to 1 genetic stock is unique for sea turtles, and allows Hawaiian green turtles to be assessed separately from other Pacific stocks with respect to risk. We explore the unique population ecology of Hawaiian green turtles with reference to the complex life history of this marine megaherbivore.