We respond to reports, rescue, and rehabilitate sick and injured sea turtles on the island of Maui, HI. Before releasing a sea turtle patient, our staff biologists insert PIT tags into the turtle’s hind flippers and etch a mototool tag on the patient’s carapace.
PIT Tags Passive Integrative Transporter (PIT) tags, similar to the microchips used in dogs or cats, are inserted under the skin of the turtle’s hind flippers. PIT tags are about the size of a grain of rice and can be detected by a scanner. The main benefit of PIT tags is that they are nearly permanent; however, one must have the appropriate scanner to read them.
Mototool Tags To mototool tag, MOC Marine Institute biologists use a Dremel to safely etch the shell with the initials of the island and the number of the stranding case that year (for example, MA for Maui and 05 for the fifth turtle stranding case in 2020). The groove is then filled with white paint that is harmless to the turtle but makes it easier for future observers to view the turtle’s number without disturbing it. These numbers will typically last up to a year, depending on the turtle’s growth rate.
MOC Marine Institute works in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries. All sea turtle response, rehabilitation, and tagging authorized under NOAA and USFWS permits.
Report Tagged Turtles
We respond to reports, rescue, and rehabilitate sick and injured sea turtles on the island of Maui, HI. Before releasing a sea turtle patient, our staff biologists insert PIT tags into the turtle’s hind flippers and etch a mototool tag on the patient’s carapace.
PIT Tags
Passive Integrative Transporter (PIT) tags, similar to the microchips used in dogs or cats, are inserted under the skin of the turtle’s hind flippers. PIT tags are about the size of a grain of rice and can be detected by a scanner. The main benefit of PIT tags is that they are nearly permanent; however, one must have the appropriate scanner to read them.
Mototool Tags
To mototool tag, MOC Marine Institute biologists use a Dremel to safely etch the shell with the initials of the island and the number of the stranding case that year (for example, MA for Maui and 05 for the fifth turtle stranding case in 2020). The groove is then filled with white paint that is harmless to the turtle but makes it easier for future observers to view the turtle’s number without disturbing it. These numbers will typically last up to a year, depending on the turtle’s growth rate.
MOC Marine Institute works in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries. All sea turtle response, rehabilitation, and tagging authorized under NOAA and USFWS permits.