Distressingly, FP has infested Honokowai throughout our observation period, and almost certainly longer than that. Inshore, Honokowai is shallow. Seaweeds cover a large part of the bottom and provide forage for juvenile turtles. A number of these algae, A. spicifera and Spyridia filamentosa in particular, have been identified by Landsberg et al. This is of interest because okadaic acid is a known tumor promoter in lab animals.
Seaweeds cover a large part of the bottom and provide forage for juvenile turtles.
The Cavern is an example of turtle habitat inshore. Two ledges face each other 5-6 m apart, both capable of accommodating a juvenile turtle. Polzbarney , a 35 cm new arrival in 1995, spent the first year tucked under a coral head, then occupied The Cavern in 1996. At the 10 m depth, a 50 m wide stretch of sand separates the inshore habitat from the beginnings of the reefs, which typically run perpendicular to shore. It is around and on these reefs that we see most of the turtles.