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Posted: May 17, 2019

Motherload: The Story of a Fertile Turtle


The satellite track of Motherload's journey of more than 600 miles from O‘ahu to French Frigate Shoals.
The satellite track of Motherload's journey of more than 600 miles from O‘ahu to French Frigate Shoals. Credit: NOAA. The inset image at the top right shows Motherload, making her way back to the water on O‘ahu's North Shore, outfitted with a satellite transmitter. Credit: Camryn Allen/NOAA Fisheries.

Hurricane Walaka hit French Frigate Shoals, an atoll in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, in 2018. Five islets in the atoll—East, Tern, Trig, Gin, and Little Gin—represent nesting locations for 96 percent of Hawaiian green sea turtles. Many of these islets were impacted by the hurricane and nearly 20 percent of nests were lost on East Island. This year, scientists will return to the islands to monitor the sea turtle nesting season and see how the storm's impact has affected their chances at survival. Follow the journey of one mother turtle as she makes her way back to the nesting beaches at French Frigate Shoals, online here.



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