LIHUE >> Scientists are asking for help in tracking endangered green sea turtles that have begun returning to Hawaii after their annual trip northwest for breeding and nesting.

The Garden Island reports National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration biologists stationed in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands have been marking the sea turtles’ shells with numbers since April.

NOAA spokeswoman Amanda Dillon says tracking the turtles helps scientists understand their foraging habitats as well as their migration and distribution patterns.

A team will be stationed in the French Frigate Shoals counting the turtles until October.

People can support the effort by sending NOAA a photo of the number on the turtle’s back and its location. Officials say people should stay at least 10 feet (3 meters) away from the turtles.