Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The DMWR Wildlife Team attended the International Sea Turtle Symposium from February 28 to March 6, 2026 on the big island of Hawaii.

This is the first time in the societies history the symposium to be hosted in Polynesia. The symposium brings together global experts, researchers, and conservationists, with a particular emphasis on the Pacific region's role in sea turtle management

DMWR Turtle Biologist Alphina Liusamoa presented in the plenary session-Pacific Island Nations, Shared Seas: Representing American Samoa on Indigenous Perspectives on Sea Turtle and Marine Conservation.

Wildlife technicians Opeta Mekuli and Lalakai Taiseni presented during the Oceania regional meeting highlighting Sea Turtle studies in American Samoa.