Countdown to Departure

After many months of preparation we are in the last week before we set off for Moso Island, Republic of Vanuatu.  There will be five HPA participants and we will be working with Francis Hickey, our local Vanuatu liaison and co-investigator.  Below is a link to the program description that we shared with our volunteers.

Program Description: Vanuatu STRP Phase II

Youtube Video of the First Trip (January, 2018)

"Vanuatu is believed to have more than 300 females nesting annually (see Mortimer and Donnelly 2008). Nesting is scattered throughout the country, especially at: a) Banks/Torres; b) Malekula; c) Epi, Green; and d) Aneityum (Petro et al. 2007; Wilson et al. 2004). Hawksbills have been subject to heavy exploitation at some sites (i.e., Malekula) while elsewhere there has been little or no pressure (Wilson et al. 2004); more recently exploitation has lessened in many areas (especially on foraging populations) due to public awareness programs. There are a number of unsurveyed nesting beaches, but surveys in 2006-2007 identified two beaches: Moso Island (Efate) with over 100 nests, and Bamboo Bay (Malakula) with over 200 nests (see Mortimer and Donnelly 2008). Since 1995, there have been efforts to revive traditional management systems to regulate (or sustainably mange) community-based harvest of turtles (Hickey 2007). This includes the Wan Smolbag turtle conservation program that began in 1995 to raise community awareness to address overharvest of turtles through plays, workshops, and a monitoring program with over 262 villages (on 40 islands) and 400 turtle monitors (Vanua-Tai network) participating in monitoring and conservation efforts (Petro 2002). The network has identified direct harvest by villagers (turtles and eggs), nest predation by dogs, and wave inundation (erosion) to be primary threats in Vanuatu (Mortimer and Donnelly 2008; Petro et al. 2007)." (Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation.   National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, SIilver Spring, MARYLAND AND U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Region, Jacksonville Ecological Services Office, Jacksonville, FL. June, 2013).

Wikipedia article on history of Vanuatu.

 In 2018, we traveled to Moso Island and were able to safely and successfully deploy satellite tags on nest three post-nesting hawksbill turtles.  A preliminary report was prepared about this work and submitted to the Republic of Vanuatu, Department of Fisheries.  

Phase II is our second trip to Moso Island to carry out more satellite tag deployments on post-nesting hawksbill turtles.  

We arrive in Port Vila at 1505 h on Sunday, 1/7/19.  We are scheduled to be picked up by the resort van and transported ~25 Km to Havannah Harbor where we will catch the 1700 boat to Tranquility Resort... at least that is the plan at this time!!!

Below is our itinerary as it stands now:

Flights
Traveling to Vanuatu
8:39 pm Saturday, January 5, 2019 Depart Kona (HW0557) 9:25 pm Saturday, January 5, 2019 Arrive Honolulu
1:50 am Sun., January 6, 2019 Depart Honolulu (FJ821) 7:30 am Monday, January 7, 2019 Arrive Nandi, Fiji
2:30 pm Monday, January 7, 2019 Depart Nandi (FJ263) 3:05 pm Monday, January 7 Arrive Port Vila
Returning to Hawaii
4:50 pm Monday, January 14, 2019 Depart Port Vila (FJ262) 8:05 pm Monday, January 14, 2019 Arrive Nandi
11:55 pm Tuesday, January 15, 2019 Depart Nandi, Fiji for HNL 10:45 am Tuesday, January 15, 2019 Arrive Honolulu
2:25 pm Tuesday, January 15, 2019 Depart Honolulu (HA0338) 3:15 pm Tuesday, January 15, 2019 Arrive Kona

General Itinerary
January 5th Depart Hawaii for Vanuatu
January 7-14 Moso Island, Vanuatu and Tranquility Resort January 14-15 Nadi, Fiji
January 15 Depart Fiji and return to Hawai’i