43rd International Sea Turtle Society Symposium Accra, Ghana 22 to 27 March, 2025
ISTS Symposium43 will bring together a community of sea turtle biologists, environmental practitioners, conservationists, Indigenous groups, researchers, academics, and advocates from up to 60 countries to share knowledge, build capacity, network and collaborate and ultimately, to promote the protection and conservation of sea turtles.
Sea turtle biologist and Co-Director of the HPA Sea Turtle Research Program Laura Jim and HPA student Charlotte Kassis (’25) are in Accra, Ghana to attend the 43rd ISTS Symposium. Charlotte will be presenting a talk entitled “Migrations and foraging areas of post-nesting Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) satellite tagged on Moso Island, Republic of Vanuatu” covering 6 years of HPA/STRP satellite tagging research in the Republic of Vanuatu. Prior to the symposium, Laura, Charlotte and Patricia (Charlotte’s mother) visited Ghana’s Mole National Park.
At the top of the gallery will be pictures from the symposium. The team first attended the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation workshop on the first day.
At the bottom of the page is a note from Laura about the symposium.
Below are some pictures of their adventures at Mole National Park.
A note from Laura about ISTS 43 GHANA:
I am writing to share that Charlotte Kassis has completed a 15 minute oral presentation at the 43rd Annual International Sea Turtle Symposium in Accra, Ghana. Her project, Migrations and foraging areas of post-nesting hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) tagged on Moso Island, Republic of Vanuatu, is the culmination of a year’s worth of learning and project work aimed at better understanding the lives of hawksbkill sea turtles that were tagged in 2023 and 2024 by members of the HPA Sea Turtle Research Program (Laura Jim, Marc Rice, Charlotte Kassis, Catherine Hulugalle, Annika Everett, Alden Mazo, Luke Linebaugh and Zane Imonen), Francis Hickey with the Vanuatu Cultural Center and supported by members of the Sunae and Tassiriki chief and villagers. Her work has been done both through an Independent Marine Science course mentored and her senior capstone, Marine Science and Advocacy.
Charlotte is, to our knowledge, the first high school students to deliver an oral presentation at the annual symposium and did an excellent job in explaining the inter-nesting habitat areas, migratory characteristics (speed in neritic versus oceanic areas, environmental conditions including chlorophyll(a) and temperature, and home range characteristics (primarily KUD or kernel utilization distribution). She will continue to share her learnings at the State Science and Engineering Fair next week Tuesday on Oahu and during our Capstone Showcase in April.
In addition to attending the conference the team (Laura Jim, Charlotte and Patricia Kassis) have visited Mole National Park in the north, Akum National Park in the west, visited various villages with economic activities including shea butter harvesting and extraction, leather tanning, and met with a traditional medicine man. Perhaps the greatest impact on the travelers has been their time spent at the areas along the coast including visiting Elmina and Cape Coast Castles which were facilities along the west African coast which served as key shipping ports for the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
As the team begins their journeys back to Hawai’i they bid fond farewell to this country that has taught them so much and accepted them with open arms.