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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 7:16 p.m., Saturday, July 19, 2008

Turtle killing investigated

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser Staff Writer

The state is investigating the killing of a green sea turtle found by beachgoers on Laniakea Beach near Haleiwa this morning.

The turtle, one of a group of 20 that regularly comes to bask in the sun on the beach commonly called "Turtle Beach," had its shell and head cut off and was missing a flipper, said Patrick Doyle, project coordinator for Malama Na Honu, a volunteer group of turtle guardians.

The 200-pound female sea turtle was found partially buried in the sand. She is thought to be about 30 years old, a turtle in the prime of her reproductive life.

The green sea turtle is considered an endangered species in Florida and the Pacific coast of Mexico and a threatened species in other areas such as Hawai'i, according to the Endangered Species Act. The sea turtles were included for protection in 1978.

In the United States, the green turtles nest along the central and southeast coast of Florida. Scientists estimate the female population ranges from 200-1,100 nesting annually.

Killing a green sea turtle is a federal offense, with penalties up to a year in jail and a $50,000 fine.

Deborah Ward, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, today said the death is the first since a killing in 2003, when a 100-pound specimen was found with a noose around its neck on a Lahaina beach.

The turtle's body has been taken to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration facilities, where scientists will perform a necropsy.

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com.