Moana
The first turtle we took in, found in Bora Bora in a worrying state. She did not survive, but she was the reason the rehabilitation centre came to exist.
Research & Conservation
Research & Conservation
We work to understand, care for and protect the sea turtles of French Polynesia.
Care & recovery
The sea turtle rehabilitation centre
Since 2004, Te mana o te moana has been actively committed to safeguarding the sea turtles of French Polynesia. Through concrete rehabilitation work, scientific research and outreach, we work to protect these emblematic and threatened species.
Our mission
To take in, treat and rehabilitate sea turtles that are sick, injured, mutilated or seized by the authorities, under DIREN authorisation.
Our objectives
To provide appropriate medical follow-up and rehabilitation treatment so that the turtles can later be released back into the wild.
Our facilities
The centre has a rehabilitation pool, nurseries for juveniles, and a treatment room for the turtles' medical care.
Step by step
A turtle's journey through the centre
From arrival to release, every turtle goes through four essential stages, overseen by our vets, biologists and keepers.
- 1
Arrival
Turtles that are sick, injured, mutilated or weakened are brought in by local people, dive clubs or government officers.
- 2
Diagnosis
Each animal is taken in and examined by the centre’s vets, keepers and biologists.
- 3
Treatment
Care is tailored to the problems found, and continues until the turtle has recovered.
- 4
Release
As soon as its health has improved, the turtle is released back into the wild.
The rehabilitation centre
Taking in sick and injured turtles
Every year the centre takes in turtles in distress — victims of boat strikes, pollution, bycatch, poaching or natural causes.
Why they arrive
Why do turtles end up at the centre?
The centre distinguishes two situations: turtles rescued from the wild — juveniles and adults — and hatchlings, newborns recovered in a fragile state or seized. Among the wild turtles, the known causes break down as follows:
- Poaching 39 %hunting and capture, though banned in French Polynesia
- Undetermined causes 38 %origin unknown on arrival
- Natural causes 9 %predation, disease, infection
- Pollution 6 %plastic ingestion, entanglement in nets
- Bycatch 4 %hooks, drifting nets or set nets
- Illegal captivity 4 %turtles kept by local residents
The residents
The species we take in
Of the five sea turtle species found in French Polynesia, four have been cared for by our rehabilitation centre.
Green turtle
Te honu aore rā
Chelonia mydas
over 88 % of the turtles treated
Hawksbill turtle
Te honu ʻafiʻi moa
Eretmochelys imbricata
about 11 % of the turtles treated
Olive ridley turtle
Te honu ʻōrve
Lepidochelys olivacea
more rarely observed
Loggerhead turtle
Te honu ʻafiʻi rahi
Caretta caretta
more rarely observed
Portraits
Turtles that marked the centre
Since 2004, some turtles have left their mark on the centre’s history through their journey.
Tortilla
One of the very first residents. Buoyancy and neurological disorders stop her feeding on her own: she now spends quiet days in the resting pool.
Costa Luna
Injured by a spear gun, she went through a long rehabilitation before returning to the ocean — 2,196 days at the centre, the longest stay ever recorded.
Matapo
“Blind” in Tahitian. Blinded by a spear gun before she was three, she is fed and cared for by our teams every day.
Ariti
The only loggerhead ever taken in at the centre. Released at Teahupoo, her satellite tag transmitted for nearly two years and traced a journey of more than 13,000 km. A record.
Hokulea
A badly weakened hatchling, saved after 488 days of care. She was released by Prince Albert II of Monaco during a visit to Moorea.
The centre in numbers
The turtles in numbers
700+ turtles taken in since the centre opened
~50 % release rate depending on the turtle’s age
4 species taken in green, hawksbill, olive ridley, loggerhead
59 % human-caused injuries spear guns, nets or fishing lines
In the field
Our flagship projects
Green turtle nesting surveys on Tetiaroa atoll
Since 2006, Te mana o te moana has monitored green turtle nesting sites on Tetiaroa atoll, building knowledge of South Pacific populations and supporting conservation measures that fit.
Sea turtle photo-identification: the TIA 'I HONU network
A citizen science project to build a better understanding of the sea turtle populations of French Polynesia through photo-identification, following the TORSOOI protocol.
Satellite tracking of turtles
A synthesis of nearly 20 years of satellite tracking in French Polynesia: analysis of 41 tagged turtles to understand their migration routes, carried out in 2024 for DIREN with NOAA.
Overview
All our conservation projects
Green turtle nesting surveys on Tetiaroa atoll
Since 2006, Te mana o te moana has monitored green turtle nesting sites on Tetiaroa atoll, building knowledge of South Pacific populations and supporting conservation measures that fit.
Learn more →
Sea turtle photo-identification: the TIA 'I HONU network
A citizen science project to build a better understanding of the sea turtle populations of French Polynesia through photo-identification, following the TORSOOI protocol.
Learn more →
IMPACS
Initiative for the Knowledge and Conservation of Hawksbill Turtles in the South Pacific: a citizen and scientific effort carried out in Wallis and Futuna and French Polynesia (2024-2026).
Learn more →
Fa'atura te tahatai
A partnership project in “research-conservation” on coastal biodiversity in the Society Islands: restoring native coastal vegetation at five sites across Tahiti, Moorea and Tetiaroa.
Learn more →
RESET
REStoring coastal EcosysTems in Tahiti: tackling the invasive Trachemys scripta to restore river-mouth and coastal ecosystems and preserve native biodiversity.
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Honu Iti
A study of juvenile and sub-adult green turtles in the Windward Islands (Tahiti, Moorea, Tetiaroa) through capture-mark-recapture, using a participatory approach that brings in Polynesian divers and local volunteers (2025-2028).
Learn more →
Satellite tracking of turtles
A synthesis of nearly 20 years of satellite tracking in French Polynesia: analysis of 41 tagged turtles to understand their migration routes, carried out in 2024 for DIREN with NOAA.
Learn more →
Acoustic Tagging
A project to estimate the size of the sea turtle population of Tetiaroa, identify where they spread out, and analyse how they use the lagoon and the outer reef slopes.
Learn more →