Volunteers sought for Marine Institute to help rescue sea turtles, care for corals

The Marine Institute at Maui Ocean Center is seeking Maui-based volunteers who are passionate about ocean conservation and willing to dedicate at least three hours a week assisting with coral restoration and endangered Hawaiian sea turtle conservation.

The Marine Institute was founded in 2016 as a nonprofit with the mission to ensure the survival of Hawaiʻi’s coral reefs and sea turtles through science-based conservation efforts, education and outreach. It operates Maui’s only land-based coral nursery and sea turtle rehabilitation center as well as the island’s sea turtle stranding network.

“Volunteers typically work at least one shift a week and become part of the various teams at our facility and in the field,” said volunteer coordinator Jonelle Anderson. “Those helping with our coral conservation program keep the corals under our care healthy and pest free, while our turtle rehabilitation team cares for turtle patients while they are recovering from injuries acquired in the wild.”

Other volunteer positions include a stranding hotline operator and field response teams. The stranding hotline operator answers calls and gathers information on reported turtles to communicate with the field teams. Responder duties include data collection, crowd education, safety watch, search assistance, and some disentanglement assistance.

“We are currently recruiting new volunteers for all programs, including public outreach,” said executive director Dustin Paradis. “If you are interested in joining our dedicated team, please visit our website and fill out a volunteer application as we will be hosting new volunteer orientations soon.”

For more information or to complete the volunteer application, visit https://www.mocmarineinstitute.org/getinvolved.