A grant from Hawai'i Tourism Authority and matching funds from Earth Friends Wildlife Foundation and Pacific Whale Foundation paid the production costs.

Scientific assistance in creating the guide was provided by George Balazs and Brandee Gerke of NOAA Fisheries.

The guide, "Sea Turtles: A Hawai'i Wildlife Guide," features detailed information about Hawai'i's green and hawksbill sea turtles, along with facts about leatherback, olive ridley and loggerhead turtles. It features full-color photos of turtles from the hatchling to adult stages, and information about how the turtles live, feed and reproduce.

The guide also provides advice about protecting sea turtles, including information on how to help sea turtles that may be stranded, or hooked or entangled in fishing gear.

"Creating this guide has been a long-standing dream of ours," said Brooke Porter, community outreach coordinator at Pacific Whale Foundation. "We had heard from many people throughout the state of Hawai'i who expressed a need for an educational guide to watching and protecting the sea turtles that are found on our Island beaches, shorelines and coral reefs."

"Education is an important step in encouraging responsible wildlife-watching," Porter said. "Human behaviors such as attempting to ride on sea turtles, or blocking the turtles' access to the surface to breathe, are often the result of a lack of information and understanding about these endangered and threatened animals."

Dive shops, snorkel cruise operators, concierge, wildlife management agencies, libraries, and other businesses or government agencies are invited to contact Pacific Whale Foundation at (808) 249-8811 for free copies of the guide for distribution.