Marine Turtle Newsletter Issue Number 137 April 2013
Green turtle incidentally captured in a fishing weir, along the coast of Almofala, Ceara, Brazil (see pages 5-9; photo: Image Bank - Projeto TAMAR/Ceará-Brazil).
Articles Unraveling Behavioral Patterns of Foraging Hawksbill and Green Turtles Using Photo-ID...... A Chassagneux et al. Sea Turtles in the Waters of Almofala, Ceará, in Northeastern Brazil, 2001–2010...... EHSM Lima et al. Evidence of Long Distance Homing in a Displaced Juvenile Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle...... AT Coleman New Evidence of Nesting Dermochelys coriacea (Tortuga Achepa) at Iporoimao-Utareo Beaches, Guajira, Colombia...... WJ Borrero Avellaneda et al.
Project Profile Announcement Recent Publications
Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 1 ISSN 0839-7708 Editors: Managing Editor:
Kelly R. Stewart Matthew H. Godfrey Michael S. Coyne NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service NC Sea Turtle Project SEATURTLE.ORG Southwest Fisheries Science Center NC Wildlife Resources Commission 1 Southampton Place 3333 N. Torrey Pines Ct. 1507 Ann St. Durham, NC 27705, USA La Jolla, California 92037 USA Beaufort, NC 28516 USA
E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +1 858-546-7003 Fax: +1 919 684-8741
Founding Editor: Nicholas Mrosovsky University of Toronto, Canada
Editorial Board:
Brendan J. Godley & Annette C. Broderick (Editors Emeriti) Nicolas J. Pilcher University of Exeter in Cornwall, UK Marine Research Foundation, Malaysia
George H. Balazs Manjula Tiwari National Marine Fisheries Service, Hawaii, USA National Marine Fisheries Service, La Jolla, USA
Alan B. Bolten ALan F. Rees University of Florida, USA University of Exeter in Cornwall, UK
Robert P. van Dam Kartik Shanker Chelonia, Inc. Puerto Rico, USA Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
Angela Formia Oğuz Türkozan University of Florence, Italy Adnan Menderes University, Turkey
Colin Limpus Jeanette Wyneken Queensland Turtle Research Project, Australia Florida Atlantic University, USA
MTN Online - The Marine Turtle Newsletter is available at the MTN web site:
Subscriptions and Donations - Subscriptions and donations towards the production of the MTN should be made online at
We are grateful to our major donors:
Marine© Turtle Marine Newsletter Turtle No. Newsletter 137, 2013 - Page 1 Unraveling Behavioral Patterns of Foraging Hawksbill and Green Turtles Using Photo-Identification
Agathe Chassagneux1, Claire Jean1, Jérôme Bourjea2 & Stéphane Ciccione1 1Kélonia, l’observatoire des tortues marines, 46 rue du Général de Gaulle 97436 Saint Leu, La Réunion, France (E-mail: [email protected]); 2Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer (Ifremer) de La Réunion, Rue Jean Bertho, BP 60, 97822 Le Port Cedex, La Réunion, France
For centuries, marine turtles have been intensely exploited This paper focuses on the foraging behavior of marine turtles in for their eggs, scutes and meat, resulting in a dramatic decline of Reunion Island using photo-ID data collection and analysis. This populations all over the world (Malakoff 1997), including the Indian monitoring program of marine turtles in Reunion Island was initiated Ocean (Frazier 1980). Consequently, conservation and monitoring in 2005 and is based on a computer-aided process using the coding programs are now employed to study population trends and of the facial profiles according to the position and the shape of the behaviors. Recently, research emphases have focused on foraging scutes. Data collected for this study were used to define spatial ecology and at-sea behavior (Proietti et al. 2012; Schofield et al. distribution and study movements among foraging areas of both 2010). One monitoring program conducted by Kelonia, the marine foraging hawksbill and green turtles. turtle observatory, over the last ten years in Reunion Island (21° Data collection. Data were collected from 2003 to 2012 in the 06 S, 55° 36 E), which is a French territory located in the southern coastal waters of Reunion Island. Photographs of marine turtles were Indian Ocean 700 km east of Madagascar, revealed that foraging captured by volunteer scuba divers and free divers at frequented turtle populations have increased (4.9 turtles sighted per ultralight diving spots. Whenever possible, photographs were taken of both aircraft survey in 1998 and 27 in 2008) (Jean et al. 2010a). sides of the head and the entire body. A total of 98 divers took part Two species of marine turtle may be found year-round along in this program at 33 different diving spots. Each spot is identified the coastline of Reunion Island: the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys by fixed buoys, which are mostly located on the western coast of imbricata) and the green turtle (Chelonia mydas). They are listed as the island. For each turtle sighting, the date, dive location, estimated Critically Endangered and Endangered, respectively, on the IUCN carapace length and behavior (swimming, feeding, cleaning or Red List of Threatened Species 2011. Understanding their habitat use resting) were recorded. Sampling effort was constrained by diving and feeding ecology is essential for their conservation (Arthur et al. club presence. Thus, surveys were limited along the eastern coast 2009). However, until now research on feeding ecology in Reunion because of both difficult weather conditions and lack of diving clubs Island has been scarce. In the South Indian Ocean, only a few studies in comparison to the western coast. are currently published and have focused on green turtle foraging A new system of photo-ID implemented by Kelonia and based on behavior, specifically in Mayotte Island, North of the Mozambique a computer-assisted process using the TORSOOI database (TORtues Channel (Ballorain et al. 2010; Taquet et al. 2006). These two studies marines du Sud-Ouest de l’Océan Indien – Marine Turtles of the used expensive bio-logging technologies (acoustic telemetry and South West Indian Ocean: www.torsooi.org) was used for the study. data logger) to provide important results on fine scale behavior of The TORSOOI database, an online MySQL database managing adults on the foraging grounds; however, the time and spatial scales of the studies unfortunately failed to provide any significant results about movement over time between foraging grounds. The identification of individuals within a population is a key issue for conservation metrics (e.g., distribution, habitat use, movement, population size) (Jean et al. 2010b; Reisser et al. 2008; Schofieldet al. 2008). Most identification methods rely on the capture of marine turtles in order to tag them, which is costly and often traumatic for the turtle (Reisser et al. 2008; Schofieldet al. 2008). Alternatively, photo-identification (photo-ID) relies on the natural marks of the turtle’s body that may be photographically captured to identify and re-sight individuals (Jean et al. 2010b; Reisser et al. 2008; Schofield et al. 2008). The natural marks on the animal must be stable over time and independent of sex or age (Reisser et al. 2008; Schofield et al. 2008). For marine turtles, photo-ID is based on the scutes on either side of the head (Jean et al. 2010b). Photo-ID methods have successfully been applied to a wide range of animals from tigers (stripe patterns) (Karanth et al. 2006) to whale sharks (stellar patterns) (Meekan et al. 2006). This is a useful method to monitor long-lived species such as turtles throughout their lifetime (Reisser et al. 2008) and in most habitats (e.g., development Figure 1. Coding process for a green turtle’s right profile habitats, foraging grounds, and nesting sites). based on the position and the shape of the scutes. Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 1 Figure 2. Distribution and abundance of hawksbill and green turtles in Reunion Island based on photo-ID. photographs and sighting reports, includes 852 images (423 right position and structure of the scutes from both facial profiles located profiles and 429 left profiles) that were used in this study. posterior to the eye toward the neck and from the line of the upper Data processing. The photo-ID method allows the identification jaw to the top of the turtle’s head (Fig. 1) (Jean et al. 2010b). of individuals with specific physical characteristics: the spatial Photographs were received by email, selected, cropped and named. Then they were analyzed using TORSOOI photo-ID software for Hawksbills Greens recognition. The photographer’s name and email address, latitude and longitude of the dive spot, observation date, species and sex Years Divers sighted sighted were also included with each photograph. The protocol for matching 2003 2 0 2 photos used for the study is presented in Jean et al. (2010b). 2004 3 0 7 The TORSOOI database contains two categories of data: 2005 5 1 11 individuals with right and left associated profiles labeled here as “identified individuals” and single profiles. Initially, the sample was 2006 3 5 4 composed of 107 identified green turtles, 25 identified hawksbill 2007 12 25 35 turtles, 56 single profiles of green turtles and 11 single profiles of 2008 20 16 48 hawksbill turtles. Juveniles accounted for 75% of green turtles (n = 163) and 78% of hawksbill turtles (n = 36). 2009 27 14 68 In order to study spatial movements, data were limited to turtles 2010 46 27 93 that changed their feeding sites at least once; this resulted in a sample 2011 37 24 108 size of 23 green turtles and 5 hawksbills. Turtles previously have been observed foraging at each spot. 2012 30 7 55 Thus, for statistical analyses we considered each diving spot that TOTAL 119 431 was separated by more than 500 meters as a discrete feeding site and diving spots located less than 500 meters and displaying Table 1. Diver participation and marine turtles sighted similar habitats (e.g., fringing reef, external slope, isolated reef) between 2003 and 2012 (2012 from January through May were grouped as a single spot. This grouping resulted in 24 distinct only) in Reunion Island. feeding sites. Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 2 Statistical analysis (Student’s T-Test) was implemented using R increase may also be a consequence of the creation of the Marine (R Development Core Team 2011). Maps were created with ArcGIS Protected Area from Cap La Houssaye to Etang-Salé in 2007, which 9.2 (®ESRI). To create movement maps, the distance between any limited the number of human interactions with turtles (e.g., bycatch, two sites was measured along 20-m isobaths, which is the average boat strikes). depth where turtles are found in Reunion Island (between 5 to 35 Movements. Of 56 green turtles, 41% changed their feeding sites meters). Indeed, according to Jean et al. (2010a), marine turtles were at least once, and 33% of hawksbill turtles (n = 15) moved from one recorded on the outer reef slopes (40 meters) but most frequently feeding site to another. Most movements were observed between Cap in coral reef zones (fringing, platform and bank reefs, 5-8 meters). La Houssaye and Ermitage, where the number of diving participants It is important to note that all information concerning dive was greatest. Eight green turtles and 1 hawksbill returned to their frequency per site was not available and the divers’ participation first feeding site after moving to another one (Fig. 3). The mean effort could not be measured. The only element related to the distance covered by hawksbill turtles was 6.4 km (SD = 7.2) and sampling effort available was the number of sightings and the 4.6 km (SD = 3.6) by green turtles, with no significant difference number of participants per site along with total sightings. Thus, we between species (Student’s T-Test, p = 0.60). Distances between assumed sampling effort did not change the order of importance of sightings of individuals ranged from 1.1 to 15.5 km for hawksbill the feeding sites. turtles and from 1.1 to 5.8 km for green turtles. Distribution of individuals. The distribution of both species A total of 22 turtles, all juveniles, moved from one feeding site to was based on two parameters: the number of turtles identified and another, but their individual behavior varied. Among these turtles, the number of sightings. Participation effort increased from 2003 to 9 individuals returned to their original feeding sites after being 2012, beginning with 2 divers in 2003 to 46 divers in 2010 (Table 1). observed at another one. Thirteen individual turtles moved to a new The spatial distribution of effort also increased with time: sightings feeding site and remained there. occurred on the western part of the island every year since 2003, whereas on the eastern part of the island sightings were recorded for the first time in 2006. The number of marine turtles sighted increased each year, reaching a maximum of 27 hawksbills sighted in 2010 and 108 green turtles sighted in 2011. More photo-ID data were collected between 2007 and 2011 as a result of increased sampling effort (communication campaigns) and the number of turtle sightings. Green turtles were mostly observed along the west coast (Fig. 2), specifically in northwest areas called Passe de l’Ermitage (127 sightings, 37 identified turtles) and Boucan (90 sightings, 20 identified turtles). Hawksbill turtles were more scattered and sighted less than green turtles. For this species, the two most important feeding sites were Cap La Houssaye (71 sightings, 9 identified turtles) and Sainte Rose (19 sightings, 6 identified turtles). Distribution of the turtles seemed to vary according to species. At Sainte Marie, Large Brisants, Digue Brisants Saint Gilles, Lagon Ermitage, Large Ermitage, Trois Bassins, Bony’s Canyon, Petit Port Saint Leu and Saint Leu Bois de Nèfle, only green turtles were observed and hawksbill turtles were dominant on other feeding sites such as Sainte Rose (19 sighted hawksbill turtles, 3 sighted green turtles, 6 identified hawksbills and 1 identified green turtle). Turtles, mostly juveniles (75% for green turtles and 78% for hawksbill turtles), were frequently sighted along the west coast particularly between Cap La Houssaye and Trois Bassins (94% of sighted green turtles and 73% of sighted hawksbill turtles). This may be a result of the high concentration of dive shops on the west coast particularly between Cap La Houssaye and Saint Gilles (Vivier 2002). Thus, the number of participants was higher in Saint Gilles area, which may explain the differences observed between this area and the rest of the island. However, ultralight aircraft surveys were conducted on the western coast and also revealed that marine turtles frequented areas between Cap La Houssaye and Trois Bassins with Figure 3. Movements of 5 Eretmochelys imbricata (a) and higher numbers at Boucan and Ermitage (Jean et al. 2010a). This 16 Chelonia mydas (b) between feeding sites monitored by is consistent with the results obtained with the photo-ID method. photo-ID from 2003 to 2012. Distances between sites were The increase in marine turtle numbers was also inferred with measured along 20-m isobaths. The representation of the ultralight aircraft surveys (Jean et al. 2010a) and is consistent with movements between two sites does not match to the real the increase in sightings from 2007 to 2010 (Table 1). Therefore, the trajectories of turtles. Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 3 Among the 31 adults sighted using photo-ID at Reunion Island, turtles here would not be possible without their participation. This no movements between feeding sites were observed. This result study was co-supported through the TORSOOI Project by the may be due to the sampling method. The method used in this study European Union, which is committed to Reunion Island through the did not allow for monitoring of all the turtles very regularly as it Fond Européen pour le Développement et la Recherche, the Reunion was a volunteer-based monitoring program that was dependent on Regional Council, l’Agence Nationale pour la Recherche and the the weather and tourism activity. Adult turtle monitoring is more Direction des Entreprises, de la Concurrence, de la Consommation, difficult because they are generally seen off the coast in deeper du Travail et de l’Emploi. water where there is less diving activity. Reunion Island is also ARTHUR, K.E., J.M. O’NEIL, C.J. LIMPUS, K. ABERNATHY & a mating and nesting site for marine turtles (Ciccione & Bourjea G.J.MARSHALL. 2008. Using animal-borne imaging to assess 2006; Ciccione et al. 2008). Therefore, adults may visit the island green turtle (Chelonia mydas) foraging ecology in Moreton Bay, for short periods thus increasing the difficulty of monitoring. For Australia. Marine Technology Society Journal 41: 9-13. example, one male green turtle was sighted twice in 2007, and then BALAZS, G.H. 1979. Growth, food sources and migrations of twice again in 2011 with no observation during the intervening three immature Hawaiian Chelonia. Marine Turtle Newsletter 10: 1-3. years. Thus it might have visited the island twice for reproduction. Some turtles were not re-sighted for several months or BALLORAIN, K., S. CICCIONE, J. BOURJEA, H. GRIZEL, M.R. even several years after their initial sighting. Without a second ENSTIPP & J.-Y. GEORGES. 2010. Habitat use of a multispecific observation, we cannot be certain if turtles moved from one feeding seagrass meadow by green turtles Chelonia mydas at Mayotte site to another or not. Movements of green and hawksbill turtles Island. Marine Biology 157: 2581-2590. during foraging seem to be rare, which is consistent with Balazs BLUMENTHAL, J.M., T.J. AUSTIN, C.D.L. BELL, J.B. (1979). According to some previous studies, these turtles generally BOTHWELL, A.C. BRODERICK, G. EBANKS-PETRIE, J.A. tend to display fidelity to one foraging site (Blumenthalet al. 2009; GIBB, K.E. LUKE, J.R. OLYNICK, M.F. ORR, J.L. SOLOMON Senko et al. 2010; Taquet et al. 2006). However, marine turtles do on & B.J. GODLEY. 2009. Ecology of hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys occasion change their residency sites for different reasons: a decrease imbricata on a Western Caribbean foraging ground. Chelonian in the quantity and quality of food (Congdon et al. 1992; Dunbar et Conservation & Biology 8: 1-10. al. 2008), the presence of predators or other turtles (Heithaus et al. CICCIONE, S. & J. BOURJEA. 2006. Nesting of green turtles in 2007), or the error of two sites being actually one single large and Saint Leu, Réunion Island. Marine Turtle Newsletter 112: 1-3. continuous foraging area (Ballorain et al. 2010; Taquet et al. 2006). CICCIONE, S., M. LAURET-STEPLER & J. BOURJEA. 2008. A more regular sampling may help to confirm the rarity of transient Marine turtle nest translocation due to hurricane threat on Réunion behavior to generalize the phenomenon to the entire population. Island. Marine Turtle Newsletter 119: 6-8. Long-term and regular photo-ID monitoring is needed to validate these results. Additional surveys have the potential to reveal what CONGDON, J.D., S.W. GOTTE & R.W. MCDIARMID. 1992. degree of fidelity these turtles have to their foraging areas. A Ontogenetic changes in habitat use by immature turtles, Chelydra combination of photo-ID methods with satellite tracking using Argos serpentina and Chrysemys picta. Canadian Field Naturalist 106: and the Fastloc GPS system would allow better definition of core 241-248. foraging areas and spatial movements. DUNBAR, S.G., S. SALINAS & L. STEVENSON. 2008. In- The use of this photo-ID method increases the understanding of water observations of recently released juvenile hawksbills habitat use and foraging behavior of the resident turtle populations (Eretmochelys imbricata). Marine Turtle Newsletter 121: 5-9. of Reunion. This island seems to be a stable developmental habitat FRAZIER, J. 1980. Exploitation of marine turtles in the Indian for juvenile green and hawksbill turtles and a foraging ground for Ocean. Human Ecology 8: 329-370. a few adults of both species. HEITHAUS, M.R., A. FRID, A.J. WIRSING, L.M. DILL, J.W. The increase in the number of turtle sightings since 2003 may be FOURQUREAN, D. BURKHOLDER, J. THOMSON & L. due to awareness campaigns initiated by Kelonia, and it may also BEJDER. 2007. State-dependent risk-taking by green sea turtles be the result of the measures to protect marine ecosystems due to mediates top-down effects of tiger shark intimidation in a marine the creation of the marine reserve. Marine turtles in Reunion Island ecosystem. Journal of Animal Ecology 76: 837-844. seemed to be spatially attached to specific sites, but some individuals did move from one foraging site to another. Increasing the sampling JEAN, C., S. CICCIONE, K. BALLORAIN, J.-Y. GEORGES & effort could help discover the reasons for movement and determine J. BOURJEA. 2010a. Ultralight aircraft surveys reveal marine whether we can generalize this phenomenon to the entire population. turtle population increases along the west coast of Reunion Island. At the present time, the photo-ID program is ongoing, and Oryx 44: 223-229. Kelonia will initiate new awareness campaigns, which could provide JEAN, C., S. CICCIONE, E. TALMA, K. BALLORAIN, J. more reliable and conclusive results over time. To this end, a website BOURJEA. 2010b. Photo-identification method for green and dedicated to divers was developed so that participants could look hawksbill turtles and first results from Reunion. Indian Ocean online for the turtles they had photographed. This study demonstrates Turtle Newsletter 11: 8-13. that participation of the general public is essential for marine turtle KARANTH, K.U., J.D. NICHOLS, N.S. KUMAR & J.E. HINES. preservation and that it is a powerful awareness tool. 2006. Assessing tiger population dynamics using photographic Acknowledgements. We especially thank all the local divers and capture-recapture sampling. Ecology 87: 2925-2937. diving clubs who participated in this work by generously sending MALAKOFF, D. 1997. Extinction of the high seas. Science 277: their photographs of turtles in Reunion. The monitoring of marine 486-488. Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 4 MEEKAN, M.G., C.J.A. BRADSHAW, M. PRESS, C. MCLEAN, SCHOFIELD, G., V.J. HOBSON, S. FOSSETTE, M.K.S. LILLEY, A. RICHARDS, S. QUASNICHKA & J.G. TAYLOR. 2006. K.A. KATSELIDIS & G.C. HAYS. 2010. Fidelity to foraging Population size and structure of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) sites, consistency of migration routes and habitat modulation at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Marine Ecology Progress of home range by sea turtles. Diversity and Distributions 16: Series 319: 275-285. 840-853. PROIETTI, M.C., J. REISSER & E.R. SECCHI. 2012. Foraging SENKO, J., V. KOCH, W.M. MEGILL, R.R. CARTHY, R.P. by immature hawksbill sea turtles at Brazilian Islands. Marine TEMPLETON & W.J. NICHOLS. 2010. Fine scale daily Turtle Newsletter 135: 4-6. movements and habitat use of East Pacific green turtles at a REISSER, J., M. PROIETTI, P. KINAS & I. SAZIMA. 2008. shallow coastal lagoon in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Journal of Photographic identification of sea turtles: method description and Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 391: 92-100. validation, with an estimation of tag loss. Endangered Species TAQUET, C., M. TAQUET, T. DEMPSTER, M. SORIA, S. Research 5: 73-82. CICCIONE, D. ROOS & L. DAGORN. 2006. Foraging rhythms SCHOFIELD, G., K.A. KATSELIDIS, P. DIMOPOULOS & J.D. of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) on seagrass beds in PANTIS. 2008. Investigating the viability of photo-identification N’Gouja Bay, Mayotte (Indian Ocean), determined by acoustic as an objective tool to study endangered sea turtle populations. transmitters and listening station. Marine Ecology Progress Series Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 360: 103- 306: 295-302. 108. VIVIER, M. 2002. Evaluation de la fréquentation des dispositifs d’amarrage sur Saint Gilles et Saint Leu. Study report, Parc Marin de La Réunion, pp.37-57.
Sea Turtles in the Waters of Almofala, Ceará, in Northeastern Brazil, 2001–2010
Eduardo H.S.M. Lima1, Maria Thereza D. Melo1, Matthew H. Godfrey2 & Paulo C. R. Barata3 1Fundação Pró-TAMAR, Acesso Projeto TAMAR 151, 62592-000 Almofala – CE, Brazil (E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]); 2North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, 1507 Ann St. Beaufort, NC 28516 USA (E-mail: [email protected]); 3Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Leopoldo Bulhões 1480-8A, 21041-210 Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brazil (E-mail: [email protected])
Projeto Tamar-ICMBio (TAMAR), the Brazilian sea turtle northeastern Brazil. The coastline monitored by the Almofala conservation program (Marcovaldi and Marcovaldi 1999), station is about 40 km long. For operational reasons, the fieldwork established a conservation and research station at Almofala Beach, coverage has varied over the years. Here we present data gathered northeastern Brazil in 1992 (Marcovaldi 1993). Almofala is a between 2001 and 2010. Starting in 2001, a noticeable increase foraging area for sea turtles: green (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead in fieldwork occurred as more trained people started working for (Caretta caretta), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), hawksbill TAMAR at Almofala, facilitating increased effort in monitoring (Eretmochelys imbricata) and olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), for both incidental captures of sea turtles in fishing gear and turtle the same five species that occur in other places in Brazil (Marcovaldi strandings. & Marcovaldi 1999). About 85% of the sea turtles recorded at Almofala are green turtles, and both juvenile and adult-sized green turtles regularly occur there, which distinguishes Almofala from green turtle foraging areas in southern Brazil, where individuals of that species are generally juveniles (e.g. Gallo et al. 2006). The central objective of TAMAR's conservation actions at Almofala is to deal with the incidental capture of sea turtles by artisanal fisheries; this is carried out through monitoring, research, educational activities with local communities and the development of economic alternatives for them (Lima 2001). Here we present an integrated summary of sea turtle data gathered by the Almofala station, focusing on the carapace size distribution of each species and connections between Almofala and other known nesting or foraging locations in the Atlantic Ocean. Figure 1. Map of the central part of the Atlantic Ocean, Study area and period. Almofala Beach (2°56'17''S, 39°48'51''W; showing the location of Almofala in Brazil and the locations Fig. 1) is situated in the municipality of Itarema, in western Ceará, of some other sites mentioned in the text. Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 5 Field methods and modes of turtle observation. The focus tag or had tags in poor condition. Turtles incidentally captured in of monitoring effort in Almofala has been the fish weir (in weirs or captured through free diving around weirs were released in Portuguese: "curral de pesca"), a traditional type of fish trap that the water outside the weirs after being measured and tagged, unless also incidentally captures turtles. This is a non-selective kind they exhibited signs of needing rehabilitation at the TAMAR station of gear, capturing mostly Atlantic thread herring (Opisthonema due to health problems. Live turtles captured by other means were oglinum; "sardinha-bandeira"), Atlantic bumper (Chloroscombrus taken to the station for measurement, tagging and rehabilitation chrysurus; "palombeta"), largehead hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus; whenever necessary. "espada"), Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus; "serra"), Data analysis. When analyzing CCL distributions, only the first ladyfish (Elops saurus; "ubarana"), crevalle jack (Caranx hippus; measurement of each turtle was considered. Whenever necessary for "xaréu"), little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus; "bonito") and tarpon the comparison of Almofala's data with data found in the literature, (Megalops atlanticus; "camurupim"). Each weir is about 30–50 m straight carapace lengths were converted to CCLs using the formulas in length and up to 8 meters high, built of wood stakes partially of Teas (1993). For olive ridley turtle carapace length conversions, embedded into the sea-floor and wire mesh. A fence about 50 m we applied the formula for Kemp's ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii) long leads fish into the weir. The weirs are placed about 0.5–1 km from Teas (1993). Two CCL distributions were compared by from the coast, at depths from 3 to 8 m. Turtles incidentally caught means of a nonparametric Mann-Whitney test (Conover 1999); in weirs can swim within the weir and reach the surface of the the significance level was alpha = 0.05. Statistical analyses were water to breathe, and most are alive when encountered by fishermen carried out with the software R 2.15.2 (R Core Team 2012). The who check the weirs daily. TAMAR has established a partnership base map in Fig. 1 was created by using the Maptool program with the local fishermen, by which members of the TAMAR staff, (http://www.seaturtle.org). Distances between Almofala and some at the fishermen's invitation, go with them in their canoes up to nesting beaches were estimated by means of the software Google the weirs to look for incidentally captured turtles and collect data Earth (http://earth.google.com). on them. During these trips, TAMAR personnel participate in the Results and Discussion. Between 2001 and 2010 there were fishing operations inside the weir, working side by side with the 1860 records of sea turtles at Almofala (Table 1), involving 1668 fishermen. As at other TAMAR stations, Almofala's fishermen take individual turtles. Records of green turtles (n = 1600) represented part in the conservation program voluntarily, without monetary 86.4% of 1852 records in which the species was identified. Among compensation or direct gain; their participation is entirely based on the records obtained through incidental capture in fisheries (n = their understanding of the aims of the program and collaborative 1533), 90.4% (n = 1386) were obtained through captures in fish attitude with TAMAR (Gallo et al. 2006). weirs, and in 99.6% (n = 1381) of the captures in weirs, the turtle Sea turtles in Almofala have also been incidentally captured by was found alive. Strandings amounted to 16.8% (n = 312) of the total hook and line, cast nets, set nets, drift nets, trawl nets, beach seines, number of records (Table 1). A total of 1570 turtles were identified to fish pots and lobster pots, but these fishing methods have relatively species and had their CCL measured (Fig. 2). The only leatherback few interactions with sea turtles in this area (about 4% of the captures in fisheries are due to these fishing methods). During the operations to check the daily fish catch in weirs, turtles spotted outside the weirs are sometimes caught by the fishermen through free diving; this is not a regular activity of the fishermen, who catch these turtles just to bring them to TAMAR's attention (these turtles are handled by TAMAR in the same way as turtles captured by other means). Furthermore, TAMAR staff respond to sea turtles (either alive or dead) that are found stranded on beaches or floating in the water. The whole stretch of beach within the station's area is monitored for sea turtle strandings year round, by TAMAR personnel on foot or four-wheel motorcycle. Data collection. All turtles were whenever possible identified to species by TAMAR personnel; severely decomposed turtles could not always be identified to species. Curved carapace length (CCL) was measured with a flexible plastic measuring tape (accuracy = 0.1 cm) from the anterior point at midline (nuchal scute) to the posterior Figure 2. Curved carapace length (CCL) distribution by tip of the supracaudal scutes; only turtles with the carapace intact, species and condition (either alive or dead) at the moment of non-deformed and free of tumors or epibionts that could interfere observation, Almofala, Ceará, Brazil, 2001–2010 (N = 1570 with the carapace measurement were actually measured and included turtles). A = alive (light bars), D = dead (dark bars). Codes in the CCL analyses. An incidentally captured leatherback could not for species as in the legend of Table 1. Sample sizes for each be removed from the water to be measured. All live turtles were species and condition are shown at the top of the graph. given a metal flipper tag on the trailing edge of each front flipper, Each bar graph shows the relative frequency distribution of except for leatherback turtles, which were tagged on the hind CCL, so all bar graphs have the same total area, regardless of flippers (inconel tags style 681 have been used at Almofala from the actual sample sizes. The bottom row of numbers shows 1996 on; tags manufactured by National Band and Tag Co., USA). minimum and maximum CCL (cm) for all turtles of each We replaced flipper tags on recaptured turtles that were missing a species, both alive and dead. Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 6 Mode of Species (alive/dead) Observation CC CM DC EI LO NI Total Fisheries 91 / 0 1319 / 14 1 / 0 42 / 2 62 / 0 2 / 0 1517 / 16 Stranded 1 / 1 28 / 226 1 / 0 16 / 21 6 / 6 0 / 6 52 / 260 Unknown 1 / 0 8 / 5 0 / 0 1 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 10 / 5 Total 93 / 1 1355 / 245 2 / 0 59 / 23 68 / 6 2 / 6 1579 / 281 Table 1. Records of sea turtles according to the mode of observation and condition (either alive or dead) at the moment of observation, Almofala, Ceará, Brazil, 2001–2010 (n = 1860 records). Species: CC = Caretta caretta, CM = Chelonia mydas, DC = Dermochelys coriacea, EI = Eretmochelys imbricata, LO = Lepidochelys olivacea, NI = not identified. turtle that was measured (CCL = 136 cm) was a male, found alive There were only two leatherback records in the Almofala region in floating in the water in September 2002. the study period. The natal origin of leatherbacks found at Almofala The minimum CCL of green turtles nesting on Rocas is unknown. Brazil hosts a small leatherback rookery in Espírito Atoll, Brazil, was 96 cm (Bellini et al. in press), and it was 89.1 Santo, approximately 2300 km away from Almofala (distance cm on Ascension Island, UK and 73.5 cm at Tortuguero, Costa Rica measured along the coastline), with about 10 nesting females each (Hirth 1997). This indicates that both juvenile and adult green turtles season on average (Thomé et al. 2007). The large leatherback were likely found at Almofala (Fig. 2). Green turtles found alive rookery in French Guiana and Suriname, in northern South America, were generally juveniles, while, in smaller numbers, both juvenile with thousands of nests each year (Fossette et al. 2008), is located and adult-sized green turtles were found dead (Fig. 2). Dead green about 1700 km away from Almofala (geodesic distance), and turtles were generally found stranded, in contrast to those found therefore closer to Almofala than the Brazilian rookery. alive, which were generally captured in fish weirs (Table 1). For For hawksbills, the CCL distribution at Almofala is approximately green turtles stranded dead (and also for dead turtles of other species the same for turtles either alive or dead (Fig. 2).The natal origin of stranded at Almofala), the location of their death is unknown, since hawksbills at Almofala is unknown. In the southwestern Atlantic, the ocean currents could bring carcasses to Almofala from faraway main hawksbill nesting sites are located in Brazil in northern Bahia locations (Epperly et al. 1996). and Sergipe and in Rio Grande do Norte (Marcovaldi et al. 2007), Genetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA indicated that juvenile although turtles classified as hawksbills in Bahia could actually be green turtles that inhabit the Almofala region originate largely from either hawksbill-loggerhead or hawksbill-olive ridley hybrids (Lara- Ascension Island (United Kingdom), with possible contributions Ruiz et al. 2006). A hybrid hawksbill-loggerhead turtle satellite- from other rookeries in the Atlantic, mainly Tortuguero (Costa tagged while nesting in northern Bahia was tracked up to the Ceará Rica), Matapica (Suriname), Aves Island (Venezuela) and Trindade coast (Marcovaldi et al. 2012). In Brazil, the minimum CCL of Island (Brazil) (Naro-Maciel et al. 2007). Green turtles flipper- nesting hawksbill turtles was 86 cm in northern Bahia (Marcovaldi tagged on nesting beaches in Suriname and French Guiana were et al. 1999) and 83 cm in Rio Grande do Norte (Santos et al. 2010). found in northeastern Brazil mainly off the Ceará coast, and many Elsewhere in the Atlantic, hawksbills with CCL as small as 65.7 cm of them at Almofala (Pritchard 1973, 1976; Schulz 1975). Flipper were recorded nesting in Nicaragua (Witzell 1983). This indicates and satellite tagging indicated post-nesting movements of green that hawksbills found at Almofala were mostly juveniles (Fig. 2). turtles that nested on Ascension Island in the mid-Atlantic to the The CCL distribution is also approximately the same for olive northeastern Brazilian coast, including Ceará (Luschi et al. 1998; ridley turtles found either alive or dead (Fig. 2). The natal origin of Mortimer & Carr 1987). The possibility exists that the northeastern olive ridleys found at Almofala is unknown. In the southwestern Brazilian coast is a foraging area for green turtles that nest on Rocas Atlantic, significant olive ridley nesting occurs in Sergipe and Atoll (Bellini et al. in press). Conventional flipper tagging indicated Bahia, northeastern Brazil (da Silva et al. 2007), and in French movements by green turtles in each direction between Ceará and Guiana and Suriname (SWOT Team 2009-2010). An olive ridley several locations in the Caribbean (Lima et al. 2008). satellite-tagged on a nesting beach in Sergipe moved north along the Among the loggerheads, all were found alive, except for one Brazilian coastline and was tracked past the Ceará coast (da Silva (Table 1). The minimum CCL of loggerheads nesting in Brazil et al. 2011). An olive ridley flipper-tagged on a nesting beach in was 83 cm (Kotas et al. 2004), 70 cm in Cape Verde (Ballell-Valls Suriname was found on the northeastern coast of Brazil (Pritchard & López-Jurado 2004) and 80.5 cm in SE USA (Dodd 1998). This 1973). The minimum CCL of olive ridleys nesting in Sergipe and suggests that loggerheads found at Almofala were mostly juveniles, Bahia was 62.5 cm (da Silva et al. 2007), and it was 67.7 cm in although some may have been relatively small adults (Fig. 2). The Suriname (Reichart 1993). This indicates that the olive ridleys found natal origin of loggerheads found at Almofala is unknown. The at Almofala were nearly always subadult or adult turtles (Fig. 2). nearest significant nesting beaches are in Sergipe and northern Bahia, At Almofala, the green turtle is the only species for which in Brazil, about 1300 km away from Almofala (distance measured information is available on the genetic composition of the population along the coastline, Marcovaldi & Chaloupka 2007). Post-nesting and on possible natal origins of the turtles (see references above). loggerheads from northern Bahia were tracked up to the northeastern Tissue samples of individuals of all species are being collected by coast of Brazil including Ceará (Marcovaldi et al. 2010). TAMAR at Almofala for genetic analyses. Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 7 The data here presented have originated mainly from incidental We also thank CETAS - Centro de Triagem de Animais Silvestres/ captures in coastal fisheries, as well as strandings, and may not be IBAMA/CE, NUFAU - Núcleo de Fauna/IBAMA/CE, Parque representative of the whole assemblage of sea turtles in the wide Nacional de Jericoacoara and Prefeitura Municipal de Itarema. Our Almofala region. The principal fishing gear monitored by TAMAR thanks to Eugenia Naro-Maciel, Neca Marcovaldi and an anonymous at Almofala is the fish weir, built at depths < 8 m. The location of reviewer for critical comments and suggestions that improved the weirs has most likely influenced the observed CCL distribution text. We made use of the Sea Turtle Online Bibliography maintained of the different species. Considering only the first capture of each by the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, University of individual turtle, the mean CCL of green turtles captured in fish Florida, USA. Projeto TAMAR, a conservation program of the weirs at Almofala in 1994-1996 (years outside the study period; in Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, is affiliated with ICMBio, these years, the green turtle was also the main species captured at and is co-managed by Fundação Pró-TAMAR. Almofala) was 72.4 cm (median = 74, SD = 26.6, range = 27-120, n BALLELL-VALLS, L. & L.F. LÓPEZ-JURADO. 2004. The size of = 115), and it was 47.6 cm in 2004-2006 (median = 44.4, SD = 14.6, the loggerhead nesting females in the Cape Verde islands. In: M.S. range = 26.4-121, n = 192; TAMAR, unpublished data); the CCL Coyne. & R.D. Clark (Compilers). Proceedings of the Twenty- distributions between the two periods were significantly different First Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. (Mann-Whitney test, n = 307, p < 0.0001). The smaller CCL in NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-528, pp. 104-105. the second period can be attributed, at least in part, to changes in BELLINI, C., A.J.B SANTOS, A. GROSSMAN, M.A. fishing practices by the fishermen. To decrease construction costs, MARCOVALDI & P.C.R. BARATA. In press. Green turtle after 1996 fishermen began to place the weirs at shallower depths, (Chelonia mydas) nesting on Atol das Rocas, north-eastern Brazil, closer to the shoreline. Weirs in shallower depths can be built with 1990-2008. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the smaller amounts of construction material. It is possible that larger United Kingdom. green turtles remain further offshore, relative to smaller green turtles, so weirs constructed at shallower depths, closer to the shoreline, CONOVER, W.J. 1999. Practical Nonparametric Statistics. Third would have a smaller probability of capturing larger green turtles. edition. Wiley, New York, USA. 584 pp. This may be also true for loggerheads and hawksbills. Post-nesting DA SILVA, A.C.C.D., J.C. DE CASTILHOS, G.G. LOPEZ & P.C.R. female loggerheads traveled from northern Bahia, Brazil, to the coast BARATA. 2007. Nesting biology and conservation of the olive of Ceará, and settled in foraging areas usually located in waters ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Brazil, 1991/1992 to between 25 and 50 m deep (Marcovaldi et al. 2010). Similarly, 2002/2003. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the post-nesting hawksbill-loggerhead hybrid turtles from northern United Kingdom 87: 1047-1056. Bahia settled in foraging areas on the northeastern Brazilian coast DA SILVA, A.C.C.D., E.A.P. DOS SANTOS, F.L. DAS C. that were usually at depths between 20 and 35 m (Marcovaldi et OLIVEIRA, M.I. WEBER, J.A.F. BATISTA, T.Z. SERAFINI & al. 2012). Juvenile and adult leatherbacks are primarily open sea J.C DE CASTILHOS. 2011. Satellite-tracking reveals multiple dwellers (Eckert et al. 2012), so the paucity of leatherback records foraging strategies and threats for olive ridley turtles in Brazil. in coastal areas of Ceará is likely a reflection of their habitat use. Marine Ecology Progress Series 443: 237-247. Juvenile and adult olive ridleys are also known to inhabit the open DODD, C.K., JR. 1988. Synopsis of the Biological Data on the sea. Satellite-tagging of olive ridley females on a nesting beach in Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus 1758). U.S. Fish Sergipe, Brazil (at latitude 10°42'S), showed that two turtles (out and Wildlife Service Biological Report 88. 110 pp. of 10 turtles that were initially satellite-tagged) made post-nesting movements to ocean points just north of the Equator and farther than ECKERT, K.L., B.P. WALLACE, J.G. FRAZIER, S.A. ECKERT & 1000 km from the Brazilian mainland coast (da Silva et al. 2011). P.C.H. PRITCHARD. 2012. Synopsis of the Biological Data on At Almofala there is an intersection of green turtle populations the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Biological derived from nesting beaches on Ascension Island, Suriname Technical Publication BTP-R4015-2012. U.S. Department of and French Guiana, and possibly Trindade Island, Tortuguero, Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, Washington, DC, USA. 158 p. Aves Island and other sites. There are also connections between EPPERLY, S.P., J. BRAUN, A.J. CHESTER, F.A CROSS, J.V. Almofala and other green turtle foraging areas in southern Brazil MERRINER, P.A. TESTER & J.H. CHURCHILL. 1996. Beach and in Argentina, as all these foraging areas host juveniles of that strandings as an indicator of at-sea mortality of sea turtles. Bulletin species originating largely from Ascension Island, with possible of Marine Science 59: 289-297. contributions from other nesting sites in the Atlantic (Naro-Maciel FERREIRA, M.M. 1968. Sobre a alimentação da aruanã, Chelonia et al. 2007; Proietti et al. 2012; Prosdocimi et al. 2012). For sea mydas Linnaeus, ao longo da costa do estado do Ceará. Arquivos turtles of other species found at Almofala, their natal origins remain da Estação de Biologia Marinha da Universidade Federal do unknown, but it is likely that some are derived from nesting locations Ceará 8: 83-86. outside Brazil, thus reinforcing the importance of Almofala in an FOSSETTE, S., L. KELLE, M. GIRONDOT, E. GOVERSE, international context for sea turtle conservation and research. M. L. HILTERMAN, B. VERHAGE, B. DE THOISY & J.-Y. Acknowledgments. Data collection was authorized by the Chico GEORGES. 2008. The world's largest leatherback rookeries: Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) under a review of conservation-oriented research in French Guiana/ license number 14122, issued by the Biodiversity Authorization and Suriname and Gabon. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology Information System (SISBIO). We thank the fishermen of Almofala's and Ecology 356: 69-82. local communities who have collaborated with TAMAR over the GALLO, B.M.G., S. MACEDO, B.B. GIFFONI, J.H. BECKER years, and also the TAMAR staff and trainees who collected the data. Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 8 & P.C.R. BARATA. 2006. Sea turtle conservation in Ubatuba, MORTIMER, J.A. & A. CARR. 1987. Reproduction and migrations southeastern Brazil, a feeding area with incidental capture in of the Ascension Island green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Copeia coastal fisheries. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 5:93-101. 1987: 103-113. HIRTH, H.F. 1997. Synopsis of the Biological Data on the Green NARO-MACIEL, E., J.H. BECKER, E.H.S.M. LIMA, M.A. Turtle Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus 1758). Biological Report No. MARCOVALDI & R DESALLE. 2007. Testing dispersal 97(1). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC, USA. hypotheses in foraging green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) of 120 pp. Brazil. Journal of Heredity 98: 29-39. KOTAS, J.E., S. DOS SANTOS, V.G. DE AZEVEDO, B.M.G. PRITCHARD, P.C.H. 1973. International migrations of South GALLO & P.C.R. BARATA. 2004. Incidental capture of American sea turtles (Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae). Animal loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and leatherback (Dermochelys Behaviour 21: 18-27. coriacea) sea turtles by the pelagic longline fishery off southern PRITCHARD, P.C.H. 1976. Post-nesting movements of marine Brazil. Fishery Bulletin 102: 393-399. turtles (Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae) tagged in the Guianas. LARA-RUIZ, P., G.G. LOPEZ, F.R. SANTOS & L.S. SOARES. Copeia 1976: 749-754. 2006. Extensive hybridization in hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys PROIETTI, M.C., J.W. REISSER, P.G. KINAS, R. KERR, D.S. imbricata) nesting in Brazil revealed by mtDNA analyses. MONTEIRO, L.F. MARINS & E.R. SECCHI. 2012. Green turtle Conservation Genetics 7: 773-781. Chelonia mydas mixed stocks in the western South Atlantic, as LIMA, E.H.S.M. 2001. Helping the people help the turtles: the work revealed by mtDNA haplotypes and drifter trajectories. Marine of Projeto TAMAR-IBAMA in Almofala, Brazil. Marine Turtle Ecology Progress Series 447: 195-209. Newsletter 91: 7-9. PROSDOCIMI, L., V.G. CARMAN, D.A. ALBAREDA & M.I. LIMA, E.H.S.M., M.T.D. MELO & P.C.R. BARATA. 2008. Green REMIS. 2012. Genetic composition of green turtle feeding turtle tag recovery further links northern Brazil to the Caribbean grounds in coastal waters of Argentina based on mitochondrial region. Marine Turtle Newsletter 119: 4-15. DNA. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology LUSCHI, P., G.C. HAYS, C. DEL SEPPIA, R. MARSH & F. PAPI. 412: 37-45. 1998. The navigational feats of green sea turtles migrating from R CORE TEAM. 2012. R: A Language and Environment for Ascension Island investigated by satellite telemetry. Proceedings Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, of the Royal Society of London B 265:2279–2284. Vienna, Austria [www.R-project.org]. MARCOVALDI, M.A. 1993. A new initiative to protect green turtles REICHART, H.A. 1993. Synopsis of Biological Data on the Olive at an important foraging ground in Ceará, Brazil. Marine Turtle Ridley Sea Turtle Lepidochelys olivacea (Escholtz 1829) in Newsletter 63:13-14. the Western Atlantic. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS- MARCOVALDI, M.A. & G.G. DEI MARCOVALDI. 1999. Marine SEFSC-336. Miami, FL, USA. 78 pp. turtles of Brazil: the history and structure of Projeto TAMAR- SANTOS, A.J.B., E.M.X. FREIRE, C. BELLINI & G. CORSO. IBAMA. Biological Conservation 91: 35-41. 2010. Body mass and the energy budget of gravid hawksbill turtles MARCOVALDI, M.A., C.F. VIEITAS & M.H. GODFREY. 1999. (Eretmochelys imbricata) during the nesting season. Journal of Nesting and conservation management of hawksbill turtles Herpetology 44: 352-359. (Eretmochelys imbricata) in northern Bahia, Brazil. Chelonian SCHULZ, J.P. 1975. Sea turtles nesting in Surinam. Zoologische Conservation and Biology 3: 301-307. Verhandelingen (Leiden) 143: 1-172. MARCOVALDI, M.A. & M. CHALOUPKA. 2007. Conservation SWOT TEAM. 2009–2010. SWOT feature maps: global status of the loggerhead sea turtle in Brazil: an encouraging biogeography of olive ridley and Kemp's ridley turtles. SWOT outlook. Endangered Species Research 3: 133-143. Report 5: 31-35 and 47-52. MARCOVALDI, M.A., G.G. LOPEZ, L.S. SOARES, A.J.B. TEAS, W.G. 1993. Species Composition and Size Class Distribution SANTOS, C. BELLINI & P.C.R. BARATA. 2007. Fifteen years of of Marine Turtle Strandings on the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting in northern United States Coasts, 1985–1991. NOAA Technical Memorandum Brazil. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 6: 223-228. NMFS-SEFSC 315. Miami, FL, USA. 43 pp. MARCOVALDI, M.A., G.G. LOPEZ, L.S. SOARES, E.H.S.M. THOMÉ, J.C.A., C. BAPTISTOTTE, L.M. DE P. MOREIRA, J.T. LIMA, J.C.A. THOMÉ & A.P. ALMEIDA. 2010. Satellite- SCALFONI, A.P. ALMEIDA, D.B. RIETH & P.C.R. BARATA. tracking of female loggerhead turtles highlights fidelity behavior 2007. Nesting biology and conservation of the leatherback sea in northeastern Brazil. Endangered Species Research 12: 263-272. turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) in the State of Espírito Santo, MARCOVALDI, M.A., G.G. LOPEZ, L.S. SOARES & M. LÓPEZ- Brazil, 1988-1989 to 2003=2004. Chelonian Conservation & MENDILAHARSU. 2012. Satellite tracking of hawksbill turtles Biology 6: 15-27. Eretmochelys imbricata nesting in northern Bahia, Brazil: turtle WITZELL, W.N. 1983. Synopsis of Biological Data on the movements and foraging destinations. Endangered Species Hawksbill Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1776). FAO Research 17: 123-132. Fisheries Synopsis No. 137. FAO, Rome, Italy. 78 pp.
Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 9 Evidence of Long Distance Homing in a Displaced Juvenile Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)
Andrew T. Coleman Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, 10801 Dolphin Ln, Gulfport MS 39503 USA (E-mail: [email protected])
Sea turtles accomplish some of the longest migrations observed in for Marine Mammal Studies’ (IMMS) stranding team. The author nature, and these migrations have been extensively studied (Benson assumed that the stranding location was in the general vicinity of the et al. 2011; Lohmann & Lohmann 2003; Luschi et al. 1998; Nichols site of mortality. The stranding location (N 30.26865, W 89.38265) et al. 2000; Plotkin 2003). Though the navigational mechanisms was approximately two kilometers from the Garfield Ladner Pier and orientation cues used by sea turtles during their journeys are (N 30.28063°, W 89.36495°), where this turtle was incidentally not as well understood, various hypotheses have been proposed and captured by a recreational fisherman in June 2010 (Fig. 1). After a tested (wave perception: Lohmann et al. 1995; Salmon & Lohmann successful rehabilitation at the IMMS, this turtle along with several 1989; olfaction and chemoreception: Endres et al. 2009; Grassman others were transported in August 2010 to Sea World Orlando and et al. 1984; Manton et al. 1972; vision: Avens & Lohmann 2003; released in Ten Thousand Islands, FL (N 25.85993°, W 81.58282°). geomagnetism: Lohmann et al. 1997, 2004, 2008a, 2008b; Papi et These rehabilitated turtles were not released in Mississippi waters al. 2000). Additionally, a combination of cues, such as visual and due to the high number of stranded sea turtles appearing on the magnetic cues (Avens & Lohmann 2003) or magnetic field intensity Mississippi coast. However, it appears that this turtle traveled from and inclination angle (Lohmann et al. 2008b), could influence sea its release site in southern Florida to its original foraging grounds turtle migrations, and different life history stages may use different in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. migratory cues to reach their desired locations (Lohmann et al. Immature Kemp’s ridleys have displayed seasonal site fidelity 2008a). throughout their range (Morreale & Standora 1998; Renaud & Juvenile sea turtles of certain species eventually depart from Williams 2005; Schmid 1998; Schmid &Witzell 2006; Seney & their pelagic habitats for foraging grounds in neritic waters and may Landry 2011). Additionally, Kemp’s ridleys in these life history display strong site fidelity to these developmental areas (Musick stages have shown fidelity to foraging areas between years (Schmid & Limpus 1997). Homing behavior has been documented through 1998; Schmid & Witzell 2006). Employing satellite telemetry, genetics in juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Bowen et al. 2004) Schmid & Witzell (2006) recorded winter migrations of 120 - 296 and experimentally in both juvenile loggerhead and green sea km in immature Kemp’s ridleys inhabiting the eastern Gulf of turtles (Avens et al. 2003; Avens & Lohmann 2004; Lohmann et Mexico, and three of the six tagged turtles returned to their original al. 2004). Avens & Lohmann (2004) physically displaced juvenile capture location the following spring, which suggests the existence loggerhead (42.3-70.4 cm standard straight-line carapace length of homing behavior in these turtles. (SCL)) and green turtles (21.2-44.0 cm SCL) 30-167 km from The complete path taken by the presently discussed stranded their foraging grounds and detected significant orientation toward turtle from its release site in Ten Thousand Islands, FL, to its their original capture site. Lohmann et al. (2004) exposed juvenile stranding location near Waveland, MS is unknown. The release green turtles (29-47 cm SCL) to simulated magnetic fields that were site was over 1,000 km from the stranding location as measured in representative of those existing approximately 330 km north or south Google© Earth, if the turtle followed the coastline on its migration of the original capture site, and significant orientation toward the to Mississippi (Fig. 1). Immature Kemp’s ridleys have been tracked original capture site was observed in these turtles. mainly to near shore waters (Renaud & Williams 2005; Schmid & The present paper details the long distance homing of a displaced Witzell 2006); although offshore movements occurred when water juvenile Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii), incidentally temperatures decreased in the fall (Renaud & Williams 2005; captured by a fisherman in 2010 and then found stranded and dead in Schmid & Witzell 2006). If the turtle followed this general pattern 2012. From 2010 – 2012, an abnormally high number of stranded sea prior to it stranding in Mississippi, then it most likely traveled farther turtles were recorded in the northern Gulf of Mexico, with the largest than the estimated 1,000 km. The exact homing mechanism used concentration occurring in the three coastal counties of Mississippi by this turtle on its migration is also unknown. Sea turtles have (NOAA 2012a). Only 19 strandings were reported in Mississippi in demonstrated the capacity to detect magnetic parameters (magnetic 2009; however, the number drastically rose to almost 300 in both inclination angle and field intensity) that might aid in their navigation 2010 and 2011. Although the total declined to less than 200 in 2012, (Lohmann et al. 2008b). And, as previously stated, the importance strandings continue to be a serious concern in the northern Gulf of of visual cues in the navigation of immature sea turtles has been Mexico (NOAA 2012b). Furthermore, immature Kemp’s ridley shown (Avens & Lohmann 2003). Thus, this stranded turtle might sea turtles constituted over 90% of the overall stranding total in have exploited multiple navigational signals on its journey back to Mississippi. These elevated stranding numbers could be attributed the north-central Gulf of Mexico, especially if it traveled close to to a number of factors, including increased public awareness, fishery the coastline. interactions (i.e., decreased turtle excluder device (TED) use in the In contrast to homing behavior, the turtle’s movements could shrimping fishery), effects of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, be explained as general dispersal behavior or random nearshore or a combination of these and other factors. movements that resulted in it migrating back to Mississippi waters. In March 2012, a juvenile Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (33.3 cm SCL) However, this turtle bypassed several known immature Kemp’s was found stranded and dead in Waveland, MS, by the Institute ridley foraging grounds (Ten Thousand Islands, FL (Witzell & Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 10 Figure 1. Map showing the locations of the 2010 release of the IMMS rehabilitated turtle in Ten Thousand Islands, FL, and its subsequent 2012 stranding in Waveland, MS.
Schmid 2005), Cedar Key, FL (Schmid 1998), Big Bend area, FL Feeding ecology and habitat affinities of Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Barichivich et al. 1999), and Big Gulley area, AL (Ogren 1989)) on (Lepidochelys kempi) in the Big Bend, Florida. Final report to its return, which would seem improbable if its migration were due Southeast Fisheries Science Center. 13 pp. to dispersal or nearshore movements. Lyn et al. (2012) also detected BENSON, S.R., T. EGUCHI, D.G. FOLEY, K.A. FORNEY, H. possible homing behavior in a group of displaced immature Kemp’s BAILEY, C. HITIPEUW, B.P. SAMBER, R.F. TAPILATU, V. ridleys whose movements were tracked via satellite telemetry in REI, P. RAMOHIA, J. PITA & P.H. DUTTON. 2011. Large-scale 2010. The rehabilitated turtles were released in Cedar Key, FL, and movements and high-use areas of western Pacific leatherback several turtles displayed directional movements from their release turtles, Dermochelys coriacea. Ecosphere 2: 1-27. sites toward their original hooking or stranding sites. The present ENDRES, C.S., N.F. PUTMAN & K.J. LOHMANN. 2009. paper along with the results from Lyn et al. (2012) contributes to Perception of airborne odors by loggerhead sea turtles. Journal the growing dataset that suggests Kemp’s ridley sea turtles display of Experimental Biology 212: 3823-3827. homing behavior and that the north-central Gulf of Mexico, including the Mississippi Sound, represents a crucial developmental GRASSMAN, M.A., D.W. OWENS, J.P. MCVEY & R. MARQUEZ habitat for this Critically Endangered species. M. 1984. Olfactory-based orientation in artificially imprinted sea turtles. Science 224: 83-84. Acknowledgments. The author wishes to thank the staff and volunteers of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies as well as LOHMANN, K.J., A.W. SWARTZ & C.M.F. LOHMANN. 1995. the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network. The author also Perception of ocean wave direction by sea turtles. Journal of thanks T. Wibbels and J. Pitchford in addition to two anonymous Experimental Biology 198: 1079-1085. reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript. LOHMANN, K.J., B.E. WITHERINGTON, C.M.F. LOHMANN AVENS, L., J. BRAUN-MCNEILL, S. EPPERLY & K.J. & M. SALMON. 1997. Orientation, navigation, and natal beach LOHMANN. 2003. Site fidelity and homing behavior in juvenile homing in sea turtles. In: P.L. Lutz & J.A. Musick (Eds.). The loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Marine Biology 143: Biology of Sea Turtles, Vol. I. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. 211-220. pp. 107-135. AVENS, L. & K.J. LOHMANN. 2003. Use of multiple orientation LOHMANN, K.J. & C.M.F. LOHMANN. 2003. Orientation cues by juvenile loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta. Journal mechanisms of hatchling loggerheads. In: A.B. Bolten & B.E. of Experimental Biology 206: 4317-4325. Witherington (Eds.). Loggerhead Sea Turtles. Smithsonian Press, Washington, D.C. pp. 44-62. AVENS, L. & K.J. LOHMANN. 2004. Navigation and seasonal migratory orientation in juvenile sea turtles. Journal of LOHMANN, K.J., C.M.F. LOHMANN, L.M. Ehrhart, D.A. Bagley Experimental Biology 207: 1771-1778. & T. Swing. 2004. Geomagnetic map used in sea-turtle navigation. Nature 428: 909-910. BARICHIVICH, W.J., K.J. SULAK & R.R. CARTHY. 1999. Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 11 LOHMANN, K.J., P. LUSCHI & G.C. HAYS. 2008a. Goal navigation NICHOLS, W.J., A. RESENDIZ, J.A. SEMINOFF & B. RESENDIZ. and island-finding in sea turtles. Journal of Experimental Marine 2000. Transpacific migration of a loggerhead turtle monitored by Biology and Ecology 356: 83-95. satellite telemetry. Marine Science Bulletin 67: 937-947. LOHMANN, K.J., N.F. PUTMAN & C.M.F. LOHMANN. 2008b. OGREN, L. 1989. Distribution of juvenile and subadult Kemp’s Geomagnetic imprinting: A unifying hypothesis of long-distance ridley turtles: Preliminary results from the 1984-1987 surveys. In: natal homing in salmon and sea turtles. Proceedings of National C. Caillouet, Jr. & A. Landry, Jr. (Eds.). Proceedings of the First Academy of Sciences 105: 19096-19101. International Symposium on Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Biology, LUSCHI, P., G.C. HAYS, C. DEL SEPPIA, R. MARSH & F. PAPI. Conservation and Management. Texas A&M Sea Grant College 1998. The navigational feats of green sea turtles migrating from Program, College Station, Texas. pp. 116-123. Ascension Island investigated by satellite telemetry. Proceedings PAPI, F., P. LUSCHI, S. ÅKESSON, S. CAPOGROSSI & G.C. of the Royal Society of London, Series B 265: 2279-2284. HAYS. 2000. Open-sea migration of magnetically disturbed sea LYN, H., A. COLEMAN, M. BROADWAY, J. KLAUS, S. turtles. Journal of Experimental Biology 203: 3435-3443. FINERTY, D. SHANNON & M. SOLANGI. 2012. Displacement PLOTKIN, P. 2003. Adult migrations and habitat use. In: P.L. Lutz, and site fidelity of rehabilitated immature Kemp’s ridley sea turtles J.A. Musick & J. Wyneken (Eds.). The Biology of Sea Turtles Vol. (Lepidochelys kempii). Marine Turtle Newsletter 135: 10-13. II. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. pp. 225-241. MANTON, M., A. KARR & D.W. EHRENFELD. 1972. RENAUD, M.L. & J.A. WILLIAMS. 2005. Kemp's ridley sea turtle Chemoreception in the migratory sea turtles, Chelonia mydas. movements and migrations. Chelonian Conservation & Biology Biological Bulletin 143: 184-195. 4: 808-816. MORREALE, S.J. & E.A. STANDORA. 1998. Early life stage SALMON, M. & K.J. LOHMANN. 1989. Orientation cues used by ecology of sea turtles in northeastern U.S. waters. NOAA Tech. hatchling loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta L.) during their Memo. NMFS-SEFSC-413. 53 pp. offshore migration. Ethology 83: 215-228. MUSICK, J.A. & C.J. LIMPUS. 1997. Habitat utilization and SCHMID, J.R. 1998. Marine turtle populations on the west-central migration in juvenile sea turtles. In: P.L. Lutz & J.A. Musick coast of Florida: results of tagging studies at the Cedar Keys, (Eds.). The Biology of Sea Turtles, Vol. I. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, 1986-1995. Fishery Bulletin 96: 589-602. Florida. pp. 137-163. SCHMID, J.R. & W.N. WITZELL. 2006. Seasonal migrations of NOAA. 2012a. Sea turtle stranding and salvage network: Online immature Kemp’s ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempii Garman) stranding reports, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science along the west coast of Florida. Gulf of Mexico Science 24: 28-40. Center www.sefsc.noaa.gov/species/turtles/strandings.html SENEY, E.E. & A.M. LANDRY, JR. 2011. Movement patterns (accessed October 2012). of immature and adult female Kemp's ridley sea turtles in the NOAA. 2012b. Sea turtle strandings in the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Marine Ecology Progress Series Fisheries Office of Protected Resources www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/ 440: 241-254. species/turtles/gulfofmexico.htm (accessed October 2012). WITZELL, W.N. & J.R. SCHMID. 2005. Diet of immature Kemp’s ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempi) from Gullivan Bay, Ten Thousand Islands, Southwest Florida. Marine Science Bulletin 77: 191-199.
Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 12 New Evidence of Nesting Dermochelys coriacea (Tortuga Achepa) at Iporoimao-Utareo Beaches, Guajira, Colombia
Wilder J. Borrero Avellaneda1, Edgar A. Patiño2 , Martha L. Guerra2 & Wilfrido A. Gouriyu3 1Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Fundación Hidrobiológica George Dahl, Carrera 26 C No. 73-26, Barranquilla, Colombia (E-mail: [email protected]);2Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Fundación Hidrobiológica George Dahl, Carrera 43 No. 47-32 Lc. 2, Barranquilla, Colombia; 3Artesenal Fisher in Wayuu Community. La Guajira, Colombia
The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is listed as one of From the records and statements that are available for the Alta the six species that occurs in the Colombian Caribbean. It has been Guajira area, there is limited information on marine turtles. In 1973, recorded foraging and nesting here and its occurrence is considered Kaufman reported that leatherback turtles are spotted and captured “common” according to Wing & Hodge (2002). The leatherback mainly at sea, but were not seen nesting. This was attributed to has been catalogued in Colombia by the IUCN and the Red Book the condition of the coastline on the Alta Guajira, which is largely of Endangered Species considers it Critically Endangered (Castaño- characterized hard sediment. Ogren (1983) also stated the coastline Mora, 2002; Sarti Martinez 2000). Along the Guajira Peninsula,the was unsuitable for nesting and suggested that marine turtles use these presence of the leatherback, or “Achepa” as it is locally known, has areas of the Guajira for food and transit only. In turn, Merizalde been recognized for a long time by Wayuu fishermen. Scientific & Gutierrez (2001) confirmed that the leatherback turtle had been studies on the nesting activity of leatherbacks and loggerheads nesting in protected areas near Santa Marta, in southwestern Guajira (Caretta caretta) in the Colombian Caribbean were initiated in Peninsula, for over 15 years although nesting is sporadic; most Cabo de la Vela and on the beaches of Guachaca, Don Diego and sightings of leatherbacks occur along fishing grounds. Quintana in the Department of Magdalena by Medem (1962) and In our study, we recorded sea turtle nesting on the beaches of continued by others (Amorocho et al. 1999; INVEMAR 2002; Iporoimao and Utareo in Alta Guajira (Fig. 1). These two beaches Kaufman 1971; Marrugo & Vasquez 2002; Muñoz et al. 1989; (each 1.5 miles long) were monitored in 2012 from the beginning Ramirez 1975). These authors demonstrated that there has been of June until September, by four fishermen from Wayuu. Three sea a drastic reduction in the nesting populations of both species and turtle nests were observed. One nest was laid by a leatherback on proposed the creation of a recovery plan for their conservation in the 26 July and hatched 56 days later on 20 September (Fig. 2). There Colombian Caribbean. Subsequently, projects were conducted by was a total of 108 eggs, with 39 live hatchlings released by the the Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano in Tayrona and Mendihuaca, Wayuu community (Table 1). Another nest, laid by a loggerhead the Autonomous Corporation of the Guajira "Corpoguajira" on turtle, contained 144 eggs, and produced 74 live hatchlings that were the beaches of Palomino and more recently, work has been done released (Table 1). One additional loggerhead nest was harvested for by the Cerrejon Coal Company Limited in Alta Guajira (Borrero consumption by the community. While the information on nesting in Avellaneda & Fundacion Hidrobiologica George Dahl 2011).
-71.7667 -71.700 -71.633 -71.567
12.500 Iporoimao Utareo
12.433
12.367 Alta Guajira
12.300
Figure 1. Study area in the High Guajira, showing the Figure 2. Children from the Iporoimao community beaches of Iporoimao and Utareo. participating in the release of small “achepa” turtles. Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 13 KAUFMANN, R. 1971. Report on status of sea turtles in Colombia. Iporoimao Utareo Proceedings of the Second Working Meeting of Marine Turtle Species C. caretta D. coriacea Specialists. IUCN Publications Supplement Papers. 31: 75-78. Nest date 27-June-12 26-July-12 KAUFMANN, R. 1973. Biología de las tortugas marinas Caretta Emergence date 13-Aug-12 20-Sept-12 caretta y Dermochelys coriacea, de la costa Atlántica Colombiana. Total eggs 144 108 Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Vol. XIV, N° 54, Bogotá, D.E. pp. 67-80. Living hatchlings 74 39 MARRUGO, Y. & A. VASQUEZ. 2002. Aspectos reproductivos de Dead hatchlings 54 54 la tortuga “gogo” (Caretta caretta) en las playas de Quintana, Don No development 12 10 Diego, Buritaca, Guachaca y Mendihuaca, en el Caribe central With development 4 5 de Colombia. Bachelor thesis, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas. Atlántico University, Barranquilla, Colombia. 118 pp. Predated 0 0 MEDEM, F. 1962. Estudio sobre tortugas marinas: Informe sobre la % hatching 82.22 72.22 comisión realizada en la costa atlántica. Corporación Autónoma % emergence 51.39 36.11 Regional de los Valles del Magdalena y del Sinú. 12 pp. Table 1. Inventory analysis of two nests from the MERIZALDE, L.A. & C.F.Y. GUTIÉRREZ. 2001. Santuario de beaches of Iporoimao and Utareo. Fauna y Flora los Flamencos y Vía Parque Isla de Salamanca, Informe parcial: pp. 45-83. En Asociación Widecast Colombia, this region is scarce, and although the beaches of the Alta Guajira are UAESPNN DTCA, Ministerio del Medio Ambiente: Contribución affected by wind erosion, egg collection and trade, it is still possible al conocimiento del estado actual de las tortugas marinas y sus to find remnants of the once abundant leatherback turtle population. hábitats de anidación en los parques nacionales naturales de la costa Atlántica, Cali, Colombia. 118 pp. Acknowledgments: The authors wish to acknowledge use of the Maptool program for analysis and graphics in this paper. Maptool MUÑOZ, D., M. ALFARO, L. BLAIN, N. ANZOLA & G. GÓMEZ. is a product of SEATURTLE.ORG. (Information is available at 1989. Sea turtles in Buritaca-Don Diego, Colombia. Marine Turtle www.seaturtle.org) Newsletter 45: 20. AMOROCHO, D., J.A. CORDOBA & S. MIKLIN. 1999. Current OGREN, L. 1983. The draft national report for the country status of nesting sea turtles in the northern Colombian Caribbean. Colombia. Western Atlantic Turtle Symposium. Western Atlantic Marine Turtle Newsletter 85: 6-7. Turtle Symposium. WATS-STAO. San José, Costa Rica. pp. 123-130. BORRERO AVELLANEDA, W.J. & FUNDACION HIDROBIOLOGICA GEORGE DAHL. 2011. Informe Tecnico RAMIREZ, E. 1975. Contribución al conocimiento de la tortuga Cerrejón 2007-2011. Programa de Conservación del Caimán “Gogo” (Caretta caretta) en la costa norte Colombiana. Operación Aguja y Tortugas Marinas. Informes Fases I – V. tortugas marinas 1974-1975. INDERENA, Bogotá. 51 pp. CASTAÑO-MORA, O.V. 2002. Libro Rojo de Reptiles de Colombia. RINCÓN-DÍAZ, M.P. & C.J. RODRÍGUEZ-ZÁRATE. 2004. Libros rojos de especies amenazadas de Colombia. Instituto Caracterización de playas de anidación Y zonas de alimentación de Ciencias Naturales-Universidad Nacional de Colombia, de tortugas marinas En el archipiélago de san Bernardo, Caribe Ministerio del Medio Ambiente, Conservación Internacional- Colombiano. Boletín Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras 33: Colombia. Bogotá, Colombia. pp. 25-28. 137-158. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras SARTI MARTINEZ, A.L. (Marine Turtle Specialist Group). (INVEMAR). 2002. Determinación de la distribución y del estado 2000. Dermochelys coriacea. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List de conservación de las tortugas marinas en el Caribe colombiano. of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2.
Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 14 PROJECT PROFILE
Sea Turtle Monitoring in El Alto, Piura, Peru
Emil Ludwin Rivas Mogollón, Zoila Adelaide Vega Guarderas & Carlos Julian Junior Saavedra Lozada Universidad Nacional de Piura - Campus Universitario, Urb. Miraflores s/n, Castilla- Piura Apartado Postal 295, Peru (E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected])
Five species of sea turtles have been observed in Peru (Aranda hatchling suggested that there was olive ridley nesting nearby. Thus, & Chandler 1989), but only two are known to nest there: the we established a monitoring project for sea turtle nesting between green turtle Chelonia mydas Linnaeus 1758 and the olive ridley Cabo Blanco and Punta Restin, to evaluate the nesting effort in this sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea Eschscholtz 1829. Sea turtle area. This 7 km long stretch of coastline is characterized by soft nesting in Peru usually occurs between July and November with white sand, towering sand dunes, and some oil rigs. These beaches a peak in September (Rueda-Almonacid 2007). Nesting by olive are uninhabited but ocean-carried trash washes up on many parts of ridleys is more numerous than nesting by green turtles (Kelez this beach, and may pose an impediment to nesting turtles. et al. 2009). The olive ridley sea turtle is listed by the IUCN as Starting in January 2011 (part of the 2010/2011 nesting season), Vulnerable (Abreu-Grobois & Plotkin 2008). However, the Peruvian monitoring was conducted monthly for several months. Each month, government lists this turtle as Endangered (DS 034-2004-AG). Its we spent two days walking the 7 km stretch of beach between major threats are the direct capture, longline bycatch, meet and shell 06:00-11:00 h, and again from 17:00-23:00 h. No signs of sea commercialization, ingestion of solid wastes and degradation and turtle nesting were observed in the 2010/2011 season. We resumed destruction of its habitat. All these threats have contributed to a low patrols in September 2011, which is the start of the nesting season level of nesting, and have driven this species in Peru into a critical in Peru, and ended patrols in February 2012. For the 2012/2013 situation (Alfaro-Shigueto et al. 2002; Bello et al. 2001; Forsberg season, we began patrolling again for nesting females, using the et al. 2008; Zeballos 1989). Although olive ridley nests have been same patrol schedule. documented in different areas along the coast, few locations have To date, we have encountered only one nesting female olive regular monitoring to record and protect sea turtle nests. ridley on 17 September 2011. She finished nesting and returned to In January 2011, a group of us from the National University the ocean by 20:45 h. This turtle was 69 cm curved carapace length, of Piura were given a fresh dead olive ridley turtle hatchling by a and laid 113 eggs at 50 cm depth, about 45 m from the high tide line. local fisherman, who said he found it floating in a small pond on One week later, we found that the nest had been opened and broken the rocky beach of Punta Restin (4° 18'S, 81° 15'W) in the district shells scattered around the nest cavity, perhaps from predation. of El Alto, Province of Talara, Piura (Fig. 1). The occurrence of this Although the local fishermen have observed neonates repeatedly, they never have seen a sea turtle nesting on the beach of Punta Restin nor in nearby beaches like Cabo Blanco or Peña Negra. However, some oil workers in the area report seeing turtles nesting at night, and on 5 January 2013, 53 ridley hatchlings were observed entering the sea in Vichayito (Los Organos), 23 km north of Punta Restin (S. Kelez pers comm). In 2013, we will continue monitoring (January-February: looking for signs of hatchlings emerging from nests; September - October:
Figure 1. Map of coast of Peru with study site indicated by red star. Previously documented nest locations for olive Figure 2. Olive ridley sea turtle depositing eggs in the nest ridleys are marked by red dots. on Playa Restin in September 2011. Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 15 searching for freshly laid nests). Although we have observed only BELLO, R., M.Y. ARIAS-SCHREIBER & J. ZEBALLOS. 2001. one nesting turtle, we plan to continue monitoring, as there remains Informe nacional sobre la situación de las tortugas marinas en little information on the reproduction of sea turtles in the region. el Perú. Comisión Permanente del Pacífico Sur (CPPS). 26 pp. Our aim is to secure funding to increase monitoring efforts and FORSBERG, K. 2008. Proyecto tortugas marinas: Iniciativas y also develop environmental education materials to help improve esfuerzos para la conservación de las tortugas marinas en Tumbes. management of coastal areas for the benefit of nesting sea turtles. In: S. Kelez, F. van Oordt, N. de Paz & K. Forsberg (Eds.). Libro Acknowledgments. We thank Karla García Burneo for advice de Resúmenes. II Simposio de tortugas marinas en el Pacifico and the information provided and Diego García Olaechea for Sur Oriental, pp. 69-70. the review and translation of the article. We thank Suramy Rivas KELEZ, S., X. VELEZ-ZUAZO, F. ANGULO & C. MANRIQUE. Mogollón and Austreberto Mogollón Avila for logistic support and 2009. Olive ridley Lepidochelys olivacea nesting in Peru: the for transportation to the study site and Magna Idrogo and German southernmost records in the Eastern Pacific. Marine Turtle Nizama for joining in some outlets. Newsletter 126: 5-9. ABREU-GROBOIS, A. & P. PLOTKIN. 2008. Lepidochelys RUEDA-ALMONACID, J.V., J.L. CARR, R.A. MITTERMEIER, olivacea. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. J.V. RODRÍGUEZ-MAHECHA, R.B. MAST; R.C. VOGT, A.G. Version 2011.1. Available at www.iucnredlist.org J. RHODIN, J. DE LA OSSA-VELÁSQUEZ, J.N.RUEDA & C.G. ALFARO-SHIGUETO, J., M. VAN BRESSEM, D. MONTES, MITTERMEIER. 2007. Las tortugas y los cocodrilianos de los K. ONTON, D. VEGA & K. VAN WAEREBEEK. 2002. Turtle países andinos del trópico. Serie de guías tropicales de campo Nº mortality in fisheries off the coast of Peru. In: A. Mosier, A. Foley 6. Conservación Internacional. Editorial Panamericana, Formas & B. Brost (Comps.). Proceedings of the 20th Annual Symposium e Impresos. Bogotá, Colombia. 538 pp. on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. NOAA Tech. Memo. ZEBALLOS, J. 1987. Informe Interno. Instituto del Mar del Perú. NMFS-SEFSC-477. pp 86-88. Callao, Perú. ARANDA, C. & M. CHANDLER. 1989. Las tortugas marinas del Perú y su situación actual. Boletín de Lima 62: 77 -86.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Arribada Portal: The Globalization of Arribada Estimates
Roldán A. Valverde Southeastern Louisiana University, Department of Biological Sciences, Hammond, LA 70402 USA (E-mail: [email protected])
Since the discovery of the large olive ridley arribadas in 1970 publication of the methodology (Gates et al. 1996). A drawback of in the Eastern Tropical Pacific rim, researchers have attempted this effort is that there was no easy way to widely distribute these to understand and quantify this unique phenomenon (Richard & resources to field researchers. To solve this limitation the Arribada Hughes 1972, Hughes & Richard 1974). The participation of tens of Portal web site was recently developed: thousands of nesting females in a single event have made it difficult to http://www2.selu.edu/Academics/Faculty/rvalverde/arribada.php estimate with any certainty the actual number of individuals that take This web-based tool provides instant access to the application part in such events as the application of traditional methodologies and allows researchers to efficiently estimate arribada abundance resulted inadequate. Early arribada-specific estimation methodology anywhere arribadas occur. The application requires that data be implied logistically difficult protocols to implement (Márquez-M. organized in columns representing the transects, and in rows & Van Dissell 1982). To address these problems, a new method representing transect censuses per time; all census data may be was developed that yielded reliable and robust estimates of arribada pasted from a spreadsheet into the application’s simple interface. abundance and was relatively easy to implement: the strip transect The application assumes that all transects are censused at a fixed in time method (Gates et al. 1996; Valverde & Gates 1999). The interval, the length of which is defined by the researcher. Other method consists of setting up a few transects parallel to each other variables (i.e., mean egg-laying time, distance between transects, and perpendicular to the length of the nesting area where arribadas and width of transect) are also entered in the application interface. occur. Transects are then censused specifically for egg-laying turtles When entering data in the interface, it is essential to leave a blank during the duration of the arribada. A series of formulas to process row between the line with transect lengths and those of the censuses’ census data were developed and published (Gates et al. 1996; data. Data are processed instantaneously providing an informative Valverde & Gates 1999). To facilitate data processing a Fortran- output that includes the raw census data organized in numbered based application and associated documentation were written rows and columns, along with the estimate of arribada abundance, and made available for free upon request along with the original variance, standard error, 95% confidence intervals, mean egg-laying Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 16 time, number of turtles counted during censuses, sum of transect GATES, C.E., R.A. VALVERDE, C.L. MO, A.C. CHAVES, J. lengths, and effective nesting area. The effective nesting area is BALLESTERO & J. PESKIN. 1996. Estimating arribada size calculated using individual transect lengths and Simpson’s method using a modified instantaneous count procedure. Journal of of approximation. One important aspect to keep in mind is that this Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics 1: 275-287. application cannot fix problems associated with data collection. If the HUGES, D.A. & J.D. RICHARD. 1974. The nesting of the Pacific guidelines set forth in the original publications (Gates et al. 1996; ridley turtle Lepidochelys olivacea on Playa Nancite, Costa Rica. Valverde & Gates 1999) on how to collect the data are not followed Marine Biology 24: 97-107. correctly, estimates will include some errors. Because the application MARQUEZ-M., R. & H.G. VAN DISSELL. 1982. A method for is simple but powerful, it is advised that estimates should be revised evaluating the number of massed nesting olive ridley sea turtles by more than one operator. Lack of consistency in estimates from Lepidochelys olivacea, during an arribazon with comments on various operators may reveal data processing problems or lack of arribazon behavior. Netherlands Journal of Zoology 32: 419-425. understanding of the arribada censusing methodology. RICHARD, J.D. & D.A. HUGHES. 1972. Some observations of sea Acknowledgements. The author is deeply thankful for the advice turtle nesting activity in Costa Rica. Marine Biology 16: 297-309. and support received from Dr. Charles Gates over the years in dealing with the intricacies of the arribada program. The author is VALVERDE, R.A. & C.E. GATES. 1999. Population surveys also indebted to Feliks Volozhanin, Pattie Stieb, and Jason Domiano on mass nesting beaches. In: K.L. Eckert, K.A. Bjorndal, F.A. for their technical support and development of the Arribada Portal Abreu-Grobois & M. Donnelly (Eds.). Research and Management interface. Funding to develop this site came from Southeastern Techniques for the Conservation of Sea Turtles. IUCN/SSC Louisiana University and from the Marine Turtle Conservation Marine Turtle Specialist Group Publication No. 4, pp. 56-60. Program of the USFWS.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
This section is compiled by the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research (ACCSTR), University of Florida. The ACCSTR maintains the Sea Turtle On-line Bibliography: (http://accstr.ufl.edu/biblio.html). It is requested that a copy of all publications (including technical reports and non-refereed journal articles) be sent to both: The ACCSTR for inclusion in both the on-line bibliography and the MTN. Address: Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, University of Florida, PO Box 118525, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. The Editors of the Marine Turtle Newsletter to facilitate the transmission of information to colleagues submitting articles who may not have access to on-line literature reviewing services.
RECENT PAPERS Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research, NOAA Fisheries, 101 ALLEN, C.D., G.E. LEMONS, T. EGUCHI, R.A. LEROUX, C.C. Pivers Island Road, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA. (E-mail: larisa. FAHY, P.H. DUTTON, S.H. PECKHAM & J.A. SEMINOFF. [email protected]) 2013. Stable isotope analysis reveals migratory origin of BARLIAN, A., K. ANGGADIREDJA & I. PRIHATIN. 2012. loggerhead turtles in the Southern California Bight. Marine Antifungal potency of turtle eggshell extract. Journal of Ecology Progress Series 472: 275-285. C.D. Allen, NOAA, Pharmacology and Toxicology DOI: 10.3923/Jpt.2012. A. Barlian, Protected Resources Div, SWFSC-NMFS, La Jolla, CA 92037, School of Life Science and Technology, Institute of Technology USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) Bandung, Bandung, West Java, 40132, Indonesia. (E-mail: aang@ ARENDT, M.D., J. BOYNTON, J.A. SCHWENTER, J.I. BYRD, bi.itb.ac.id) A.L. SEGARS, J.D. WHITAKER, L. PARKER, D.W. OWENS, BEHERA, S., K. SIVAKUMAR, B.C. CHOUDHURY, B. G.M. BLANVILLAIN, J.M. QUATTRO & M.A. ROBERTS. TRIPATHY& C.S. KAR. 2012. Occurrence of olive ridley 2012. Spatial clustering of loggerhead sea turtles in coastal waters (Lepidochelys olivacea) solitary nests and their future conservation of the NW Atlantic Ocean: implications for management surveys. implications in Gahirmatha rookery, Odisha, India. Indian Endangered Species Research 18: 219-231. M.D. Arendt, Marine Forester 138: 869-875. S. Behera, Wildlife Inst India, Dehra Dun, Resources Division, SC DNR, 217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, Uttarakhand, India. (E-mail: [email protected]) SC 29412, USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) BENAKA, L.R., L.F. CIMO & L.D. JENKINS. 2012. Bycatch AVENS, L.A., L. GOSHE, C. HARMS, E.T. ANDERSON, A.G. provisions in the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act. Marine HALL, W.M. CLUSE, M.H. GODFREY, J. BRAUN-MCNEILL, Fisheries Review 74: 1-12. L.R. Benaka, Office of Sustainable B. STACY, R. BAILEY & M.M. LAMONT. 2012. Population Fisheries, NMFS, NOAA, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver characteristics, age structure, and growth dynamics of neritic Spring, MD 20910, USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) juvenile green turtles in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Marine BJORNDAL, K.A., J. PARSONS, W. MUSTIN & A.B. BOLTEN. Ecology Progress Series 458: 213-229. L. Avens, Center for 2013. Threshold to maturity in a long-lived reptile: interactions
Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 17 of age, size, and growth. Marine Biology 160: 607-616. K.A. Biology and Ecology 440: 141-148. S. Hochscheid, Stazione Bjorndal, Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Dept Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy. of Biology, Box 118525, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (E-mail: [email protected]) 32611, USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) CHOU, C. 2012. Review of borderless economics: Chinese sea BLANCO, G.S., S.J. MORREALE, H. BAILEY, J.A. SEMINOFF, turtles, Indian fridges, and the new fruits of global capitalism. F.V. PALADINO & J.R. SPOTILA. 2012. Post-nesting Singapore Economic Review 57: 1280011. Book Review. C. Chou, movements and feeding grounds of a resident East Pacific green Duke Univ, Durham, NC 27706 USA. PDF available at http:// turtle Chelonia mydas population from Costa Rica. Endangered www.worldscientific.com/doi/pdf/10.1142/S0217590812800112 Species Research 18: 233-245. G.S. Blanco, Dept of Biology, COSTA, D.P., G.A. BREED & P.W. ROBINSON. 2012. New Drexel Univ, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. (E-mail: gblanco@ insights into pelagic migrations: implications for ecology cenpat.edu.ar) and conservation. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, BOOTH, D.T., R. FEENEY & Y. SHIBATA. 2013. Nest and maternal and Systematics 43: 73-96. D.P. Costa, Dept of Ecology & origin can influence morphology and locomotor performance of Evolutionary Biology, Univ of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, hatchling green turtles (Chelonia mydas) incubated in field nests. USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) Marine Biology 160: 127-137. D.T. Booth, Univ Queensland, EDER, E., A. CEBALLOS, S. MARTINS, H. PEREZ-GARCIA, I. Sch Biol Sci, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia. (E-mail: d.booth@ MARIN, A. MARCO & L. CARDONA. 2012. Foraging dichotomy uq.edu.au) in loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta off northwestern Africa. BORNATOWSKI, H., M.R. HEITHAUS, C.M.P. BATISDTA & Marine Ecology Progress Series 470: 113-122. E. Eder, Dept of R. MASCARENHAS. 2012. Shark scavenging and predation Animal Biology & IRBio, Faculty of Biology, Univ of Barcelona, on sea turtles in northeastern Brazil. Amphibia-Reptilia 33: 495- Avenida Diagona 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. (E-mail: eder@ 502. H. Bornatowski, Programa de Pos Graduacao em Zoologia, cenpat.edu.ar) Universidade Federal do Parana, Caixa Postal 19020, 81531-980 FITZPATRICK, R., M. THUMS, I. BELL, M.G. MEEKAN, J.D. Curitiba PR, Brazil. (E-mail: [email protected]) STEVENS & A. BARNETT. 2012. A comparison of the seasonal CAMACHO, M., M.P. QUINTANA, O.P. LUZARDO, M.D. movements of tiger sharks and green turtles provides insight ESTEVEZ, P. CALABUIG & J. OROS. 2013. Metabolic and into their predator-prey relationship. PLoS One 7: e51927. A. respiratory status of stranded juvenile loggerhead sea turtles Barnett, Deakin Univ, Sch Life & Environm Sci, Melbourne, Vic, (Caretta caretta): 66 cases (2008-2009). Journal of the American Australia. (E-mail: [email protected]) Veterinary Medical Association 242: 396-401. Veterinary Fac., FRANKEL, N.S., H.B. VANDER ZANDEN, K.J. REICH, K.L. Univ. of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontana s/n, 35416 WILLIAMS & K.A. BJORNDAL. 2012. Mother-offspring stable Arucas (Las Palmas), Spain. (E-mail: [email protected]) isotope discrimination in loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta. CAMBIE, G., N. SANCHEZ-CARNERO, T. MINGOZZI, R. Endangered Species Research 17: 133-138. H.B. Vander Zanden, MUINO & J. FREIRE. 2013. Identifying and mapping local Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Dept of Biology, bycatch hotspots of loggerhead sea turtles using a GIS-based PO Box 118525, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, method: implications for conservation. Marine Biology 160: 653- USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) 665. G. Cambie, School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor Univ, Menai FUKUDA, T., J. KURITA, T. SAITO, K. YUASA, M. KURITA, K. Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5AB, U.K. (E-mail: giulia.cambie@ DONAI, H. NITTO, M. SOICHI, K. NISHIMORI, T. UCHIDA, gmail.com) E. ISOGAI, M. ONUMA, H. SONE, N. OSEKO & M. INOUE- CASALE, P., A. APREA, M. DEFLORIO & G. DE METRIO. MURAYAMA. 2012. Efficient establishment of primary fibroblast 2012. Increased by-catch rates in the Gulf of Taranto, Italy, in cultures from the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). 20 years: a clue about sea turtle population trends? Chelonian In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology-Animal 48: 660- Conservation & Biology 11: 239-243. P. Casale, Dept of Biology 665. T. Fukuda, Tohoku Univ, Grad Sch Agr Sci, Aoba Ku, 1-1 and Biotechnologies 'Charles Darwin,' University of Rome "La Tsutsumidori Amamiyamachi, Sendai, Miyagi 9818555, Japan. Sapienza," Viale dell Universita 32, 00185 Rome, Italy. (E-mail: (E-mail: [email protected]) [email protected]) GALLI, S., P. GASPAR, S. FOSSETTE, B. CALMETTES, G.C. CHAIEB, O., A. ELOUAER, F. MAFFUCCI, S. KARAA, M.N. HAYS, J.R.E. LUTJEHARMS & P. LUSCHI. 2012. Orientation BRADAI, H. ELHILI, F. BENTIVEGNA, K. SAID & N. of migrating leatherback turtles in relation to ocean currents. CHATTI. 2012. Population structure and dispersal patterns of Animal Behaviour 84: 1491-1500. P. Luschi, Univ Pisa, Dept of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta in Tunisian coastal waters, Biology, Via A Volta 6, I-56126 Pisa, Italy. (E-mail: pluschi@ central Mediterranean. Endangered Species Research 18: 35-45. biologia.unipi.it) O. Chaieb, Laboratory of Genetics, Biodiversity and Bio-resources HANCOCK-HANSER, B.L., A. FREY, M.S. LESLIE, P.H. Development –LR11ES41-, Higher Institute of Biotechnology of DUTTON, F.I. ARCHER & P.A. MORIN. 2013. Targeted Monastir, Univ of Monastir, 5000 Tunisia. (E-mail: offachaieb@ multiplex next-generation sequencing: advances in techniques yahoo.fr) of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequencing for population CHENG, I-J., F. BENTIVEGNA & S. HOCHSCHEID. 2013. The genomics. Molecular Ecology Resources 13: 254-268. P.H. behavioural choices of green turtles nesting at two environmentally Dutton, NOAA Fisheries, SWFSC, 8901 La Jolla Shores Dr, La different islands in Taiwan. Journal of Experimental Marine Jolla, CA 92037 USA. (E-mail: [email protected])
Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 18 HAWKES, L.A., A. MCGOWAN, B.J. GODLEY, S. GORE, A. Materials and Structures 22: 014007. H-J. Kim, Seoul Natl Univ, LANGE, C.R. TYLER, D. WHEATLEY, J. WHITE, M.J. WITT Sch Mech & Aerosp Engn, Seoul, South Korea. (E-mail: ahnsh@ & A.C. BRODERICK. 2013. Estimating sex ratios in Caribbean snu.ac.kr) hawksbill turtles: testosterone levels and climate effects. Aquatic KONDO, Y. 2012. My sea turtle story - 2. Umigame Newsletter of Biology 18: 9-19. L. Hawkes, College of Life and Environmental Japan 91: 3-7. (E-mail: [email protected]) Sciences, Tremough Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9EZ, UK. KONDO, Y. 2012. My sea turtle story - 3. Umigame Newsletter of (E-mail: [email protected]) Japan 92: 3-6. (E-mail: [email protected]) HAYASHI, R. 2013. A checklist of turtle and whale barnacles LAMONT, M.M., R.R. CARTHY & I. FUJISAKI. 2012. Declining (Cirripedia: Thoracica: Coronuloidea). Journal of the Biological reproductive parameters highlight conservation needs of Association of the United Kingdom 93: 143-182. R. Hayashi, Univ loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the northern Gulf of of Tokyo, Atmosphere & Ocean Res Inst, Int Coastal Res Ctr, Mexico. Chelonian Conservation & Biology 11: 190-196. M.M. 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 2778564, Japan. (E-mail: Lamont, Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, [email protected]) University of Florida, PO Box 110485, Gainesville, FL 32611, HAZEL, J., M. HAMANN & I.R. LAWLER. 2013. Home range USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) of immature green turtles tracked at an offshore tropical reef LEROUX, R.A., P.H. DUTTON, F.A. ABREU-GROBOIS, C.J. using automated passive acoustic technology. Marine Biology LAGUEUX, C.L. CAMPBELL, E. DELCROIX, J. CHEVALIER, 160: 617-627. J. Hazel, Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic J.A. HORROCKS, Z. HILLIS-STARR, S. TROENG, E. Ecosystem Research, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia. (E-mail: HARRISON & S. STAPLETON. 2012. Re-examination of [email protected]) population structure and phylogeography of hawksbill turtles in HIRAMA, S. & B. WITHERINGTON. 2012. A loggerhead sea turtle the Wider Caribbean using longer mtDNA sequences. Journal (Caretta caretta) preying on fish within a mixed-species feeding of Heredity 103: 806-820. P.H. Dutton, NOAA Fisheries, SW aggregation. Chelonian Conservation & Biology 11: 261-265. S. Fisheries Science Center, 8604 La Jolla Shores Dr, La Jolla, CA Hirama, Florida FWCC, 9700 South A1A, Melbourne Beach, FL 92037, USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) 32951, USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) MADRIGAL-BALLESTERO, R., A. SCHLUETER & M.C. IKONOMOPOULOU, M.P., M. HODGE & J.M. WHITTIER. LOPEZ. 2013. What makes them follow the rules? Empirical 2012. An investigation of organochlorine and polychlorobiphenyl evidence from turtle egg harvesters in Costa Rica. Marine Policy concentrations in the blood and eggs of the carnivorous flatback 37: 270-277. R. Madrigal-Ballestero, CATIE, Environm Dev Ctr turtle, Natator depressus, from Queensland, Australia. Chelonian EfD, Turrialba 7170, Cartago, Costa Rica. (E-mail: rmadriga@ Conservation & Biology 11: 255-259. M.P. Ikonomopoulou, catie.ac.cr) Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Level 2 North, University of MANGUBHAI, S., M.V. ERDMANN, J.R. WILSON, C.L. Queensland, Services Rd, Bldg 80, St. Lucia Campus, Queensland HUFFARD, F. BALLAMU, N.I. HIDAYAT, C. HITIPEUW, 4072, Australia. (E-mail: [email protected]) M.E. LAZUARDI, MUHAJIR, D. PADA, G. PURBA, C. JENKINS, L.D. 2012. Reducing sea turtle bycatch in trawl nets: a ROTINSULU, L. RUMETNA & K. WEN W. SUMOLANG. 2012. history of NMFS Turtle Excluder Device (TED) research. Marine Papuan Bird's Head Seascape: Emerging threats and challenges in Fisheries Review 74: 26-44. School of Marine and Environmental the global center of marine biodiversity. Marine Pollution Bulletin Affairs, Univ of Washington, 3707 Brooklyn Ave. NE, Seattle, 64: 2279-2295. S. Mangubhai, Nature Conservancy, Indonesia WA 98105, USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) Marine Program, Jl Pengembak 2, Sanur 80228, Bali, Indonesia. JONES, M.E.H., I. WERNEBURG, N. CURTIS, R. PENROSE, P. (E-mail: [email protected]) O'HIGGINS, M.J. FAGAN & S.E. EVANS. 2012. The head and MARCOVALDI, M.A., G.G. LOPEZ, L.S. SOARES & M. LOPEZ- neck anatomy of sea turtles (Cryptodira: Chelonioidea) and skull MENDILAHARSU. 2012. Satellite tracking of hawksbill turtles shape in testudines . PLoS One 7: e47852. M.E.H. Jones, UCL, Eretmochelys imbricata nesting in northern Bahia, Brazil: turtle Res Dept Cell & Dev Biol, UCL, London, England. (E-mail: movements and foraging destinations. Endangered Species [email protected]) Research 17: 123-132. M.A. Marcovaldi, Fundacao Pro-Tamar, KAMEDA, K. 2012. A case of the recapture of head-starting Caixa Postal 2219, Salvador, Bahia, 41950-970, Brazil. (E-mail: hawksbill turtle from Yaeyama Islands, Japan. Umigame [email protected]) Newsletter of Japan No. 91: 13-14. (E-mail: newsletter@ MAULANY, R.I., D.T. BOOTH & G.S. BAXTER. 2012. The effect umigame.org) of incubation temperature on hatchling quality in the olive ridley KAZEMI NEZHAD, S.R., E. MODHEJI & H. ZOLGHARNEIN. turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea, from Alas Purwo National Park, 2012. Polymorphism analysis of mitochondrial DNA control East Java, Indonesia: implications for hatchery management. region of hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Persian Marine Biology 159: 2651-2661. R.I. Maulany, Hasanuddin Univ, Gulf. Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 7: 339-345. S.R. Fac Forestry, Dept Forest Conservat, Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan Kazemi Nezhad, Dept of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Shahid Km 10, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. (E-mail: risma. Chamran University of Ahvaz, PO Box 65355-141, Ahvaz, Islamic [email protected]) Republic of Iran. MAULANY, R.I., D.T. BOOTH & G.S. BAXTER. 2012. Emergence KIM, H-J., S-H. SONG & S-H. AHN. 2013. A turtle-like swimming success and sex ratio of natural and relocated nests of olive ridley robot using a smart soft composite (SSC) structure. Smart turtles from Alas Purwo National Park, East Java, Indonesia. Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 19 Copeia 2012: 738-747. R.I. Maulany, Hasanuddin Univ, Fac N. DOWLING. 2013. Economic and conservation implications Forestry, Dept Forest Conservation, Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan of a variable effort penalty system in effort-controlled fisheries. Km 10, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. (E-mail: risma. Applied Economics 45: 3880-3890. S. Pascoe, CSIRO Marine & [email protected]) Atmospher Res, EcoSci Precinct, Wealth Oceans Flagship, POB MAZARIS, A.D., A.S. KALLIMANIS, J.D. PANTIS & G.C. HAYS. 2583, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia. (E-mail: sean.pascoe@ 2013. Phenological response of sea turtles to environmental csiro.au) variation across a species' northern range. Proceedings of the PEREIRA, C.M., D.T. BOOTH, A.J. BRADLEY & C.J. LIMPUS. Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 280: 20122397. A.D. 2013. Blood concentrations of lactate, glucose and corticosterone Mazaris, Aristotle Univ Thessaloniki, Sch Biol, Dept Ecol, UP in dispersing hatchling sea turtles. Biology Open 2: 63-67. C.M. Box 119, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece. (E-mail: amazaris@bio. Pereira, Physiological Ecology Group, School of Biological auth.gr) Sciences, Univ of Queensland, QLD 4072, Australia. (E-mail: MCCLENACHAN, L., F. FERRETTI & J.K. BAUM. 2012. From [email protected]) archives to conservation: why historical data are needed to set PIKE, D.A. 2013. Climate influences the global distribution of sea baselines for marine animals and ecosystems. Conservation turtle nesting. Global Ecology and Biogeography DOI: 10.1111/ Letters 5: 349-359. L. McClenachan, Simon Fraser Univ, Geb.12025 12 pp. School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Dept Biol, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada. (E-mail: loren. Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia. (E-mail: [email protected]) [email protected]) MERCHANT-LARIOS, H. & V. DIAZ-HERNANDEZ. 2013. PINCETICH, C., MING ONG & T. STEINER. 2012. Conservation Environmental sex determination mechanisms in reptiles. advocacy increases protections for Critically Endangered Pacific Sexual Development 7: 95-103. H. Merchant-Larios, Univ Nacl leatherback sea turtles. Asian Journal of Conservation Biology 1: Autonoma Mexico, Inst Invest Biomed, Dept Biol Celular & 16-19. C. Pincetich, Sea Turtle Restoration Project, PO Box 370, Fisiol, Ciudad Univ, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico. (E-mail: Forest Knolls, CA 94933, USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) [email protected]) PIOVANO, S., A. FARCOMENI & C. GIACOMA. 2013. Do MORTIMER, J.A. 2012. Seasonality of green turtle (Chelonia colours affect biting behaviour in loggerhead sea turtles? Ethology mydas) reproduction at Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles (1980-2011) Ecology & Evolution 25: 12-20. C. Giacoma, Univ Turin, in the regional context of the Western Indian Ocean. Chelonian Dipartimento Sci Vita & Biol Sistemi, Via Accademia Albertina Conservation & Biology 11: 170-181. J.A. Mortimer, Seychelles 13, I-10123 Turin, Italy. (E-mail: [email protected]) Islands Foundation (SIF), Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles. (E-mail: PRICE, E.R., T.T. JONES, B.P. WALLACE & C.G. GUGLIELMO. [email protected]) 2013. Serum triglycerides and B-hydroxybutyrate predict feeding NARO-MACIEL, E., A.C. VIGLIAR BONDIOLI, M. MARTIN, status in green turtles (Chelonia mydas): evaluating a single blood A.P. ALMEIDA, C. BAPTISTOTTE, C. BELLINI, M.A. sample method for assessing feeding/fasting in reptiles. Journal MARCOVALDI, A.J. BARSANTE SANTOS & G. AMATO. of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 439: 176-180. E.R. 2012. The interplay of homing and dispersal in green turtles: a Price, Dept of Forest & Wildlife Ecology, Univ of Wisconsin- focus on the Southwestern Atlantic. Journal of Heredity 103: 792- Madison, 1630 Linden Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA. (E-mail: 805. E. Naro-Maciel, CUNY College Staten Island, Dept Biology, [email protected]) Staten Island, NY 10314 USA. (E-mail: Eugenia.NaroMaciel@ PUTMAN, N.F. & R. HE. 2013. Tracking the long-distance dispersal csi.cuny.edu) of marine organisms: sensitivity to ocean model resolution. NICHOLS, W.J. 2012. Outre' Banks of the Mind. Catamaran 1: 19- Journal of the Royal Society Interface 10: 20120979. N.F. Putman, 23. W.J. Nichols, Wildcoast, PO Box 324, Davenport, CA 95017, Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) 97331, USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) OKAMOTO, K., Y. OUCHI, T. ISHIHARA & N. KAMEZAKI. RAFFERTY, A.R., R.G. EVANS, T.F. SCHEELINGS & R.D. 2012. Straight carapace length calculation of the loggerhead and REINA. 2013. Limited oxygen availability in utero may constrain green sea turtles from some morphological characters. Umigame the evolution of live birth in reptiles. American Naturalist 181: Newsletter of Japan 91: 8-12. (E-mail: [email protected]) 245-253. A.R. Rafferty, Australian Centre for Biodiversity, School OKAMOTO, K., S. UENO & N. KAMEZAKI. 2012. Bibliography of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria of the sea turtles in Japan. Umigame Newsletter of Japan No. 93: 3800, Australia. (E-mail: [email protected]) 2-43. (E-mail: [email protected]) REES, A.F., A. AL-KIYUMI, A.C. BRODERICK, N. PAES E LIMA, E., J. WANDERLINDE, D. TORRES DE PAPATHANASOPOULOU & B.J. GODLEY. 2012. Each to ALMEIDA, G. LOPEZ & D. WROBEL GOLDBERG. 2012. their own: inter-specific differences in migrations of Masirah Nesting ecology and conservation of the loggerhead sea Island turtles. Chelonian Conservation & Biology 11: 243-248. turtle (Caretta caretta) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Chelonian A.F. Rees, Univ of Exeter, Ctr Ecology & Conservation, Marine Conservation & Biology 11: 249-254. E. Paes e Lima, Projeto Turtle Research Group, Cornwall Campus, Exeter TR10 9EZ, TAMAR-ICMBio, Rua Professor Ademir Francisco s/n - Barra Devon, England, UK. (E-mail: [email protected]) da Lagoa, Florianopolis - SC, 88061-160 Brazil. (E-mail: eron@ REES, A.F., D. MARGARITOULIS, R. NEWMAN, T.E. tamar.org.br) RIGGALL, P. TSAROS, J.A. ZBINDEN & B.J. GODLEY. 2013. PASCOE, S., J. INNES, A. NORMAN-LOPEZ, C. WILCOX & Ecology of loggerhead marine turtles Caretta caretta in a neritic Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 20 foraging habitat: movements, sex ratios and growth rates. Marine control region sequences increase resolution of stock structure Biology 160: 519-529. Address as above. among North Atlantic loggerhead turtle rookeries. Marine Ecology RICHARDSON, P.B., A.C. BRODERICK, M.S. COYNE, S. Progress Series 469: 145-160. B.M. Shamblin, Daniel B. Warnell GORE, J.C. GUMBS, A. PICKERING, S. RANGER, M.J. School of Forestry & Natural Resources, Univ Georgia, Athens, WITT & B.J. GODLEY. 2013. Leatherback turtle conservation GA 30605, USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) in the Caribbean UK overseas territories: Act local, think global? SNOVER, M.L., G.H. BALAZS, S.K.K. MURAKAWA, S.K. Marine Policy 38: 483-490. P.B. Richardson, Marine Conservation HARGROVE, M.R. RICE & W.A. SEITZ. 2013. Age and growth Society, Ross on Wye, Hereford HR9 5NB, England, UK. (E-mail: rates of Hawaiian hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) [email protected]) using skeletochronology. Marine Biology 160: 37-46. M.L. RODENBUSCH, C.R., L.L. ALMEIDA, F.S. MARKS, M.W. Snover, Denali Natl Park & Preserve, PO Box 9, Milepost 237, ATAIDE, M.M. ALIEVI, M. TAVARES, R.A. PEREIRA George Pk Highway, Denali Natl Park, AK 99755 USA. (E-mail: & C.W. CANAL. 2012. Detection and characterization of [email protected]) fibropapilloma associated herpesvirus of marine turtles in Rio SOSA-CORNEJO, I., D. ITALVI MONTANO-VALDEZ, M. Grande do Sul, Brazil. Pesquisa Veterinaia Brasileira 32: 1179- BUCIO-PACHECO, F. ENCISO-SARACHO, J. GUILLERMO 1183. C.R. Rodenbusch, Laboratoio de Virologia, Faculdade de SANCHEZ-ZAZUETA & E. FIERROS-PEREZ. 2012. Veterinaia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Determination of epibionts of the marine turtle Lepidochelys Gonclves 9090, Porto Alegre, RS 91540-000, Brazil. (E-mail: olivacea (Escholtz, 1829) nesting in Ceuta Beach, Sinaloa, [email protected]) Mexico. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology B 2: SAKAOKA, K., M. YOSHI, H. OKAMOTO, F. SAKAI & K. 1190-1194. I. Sosa-Cornejo, Eswcuela de Biologia, Universidad NAGASAWA. 2012. Mate selection based on genetic relatedness Autonoma de Sinaloa, Culiacan Rosales, Sinaloa, CP 80030, of loggerhead turtles in captivity. Chelonian Conservation Mexico. (E-mail: [email protected]) & Biology 11: 214-222. K. Sakaoka, Port of Nagoya Public STEWART, K., M.A. MITCHELL, T. NORTON & R.C. KRECEK. Aquarium, 1-3 Minato-machi, Minato-ku, Nagoya 455-0033 2012. Measuring the level of agreement in hematologic and Japan. (E-mail: [email protected]) biochemical values between blood sampling sites in leatherback SALOMON, Y., M.A. MCCARTHY, P. TAYLOR & B.A. WINTLE. sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife 2013. Incorporating uncertainty of management costs in sensitivity Medicine 43: 719-725. K. Stewart, Ross Univ, School Vet Med, analyses of matrix population models. Conservation Biology PO Box 334, Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis. (E-mail: kstewart@ 27: 134-144. Y. Salomon, Univ Melbourne, Dept Math & Stat, rossvet.edu.kn) Melbourne, Vic 3010, Australia. (E-mail: ysalomon@pgrad. STOCKMAN, J., C.J. INNIS, M. SOLANO, J. O'SULLIVAN unimelb.edu.au) BRISSON, P.H. KASS, M.F. TLUSTY & E.S. III WEBER. SARAHAIZAD, M.S., S.M.S. ANUAR & Y. MANSOR. 2012. 2013. Prevalence, distribution, and progression of radiographic Nest site selection and digging attempts of green turtles (Chelonia abnormalities in the lungs of cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea mydas, Fam. Cheloniidae) at Pantai Kerachut and Telok Kampi, turtles (Lepidochelys kempii): 89 cases (2002-2005). Journal Penang Island, Peninsular Malaysia. Malaysian Applied Biology of the American Veterinary Medical Association 242: 675-681. 41: 31-39. M.S. Sarahaizad, Univ Sains Malaysia, Sch Biol Sci, J. Stockman, Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary George Town 11800, Malaysia. (E-mail: sarah_chicalatina@ Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA. yahoo.com) SUZUKI, K., J. NODA, M. YANAGISAWA, I. KAWAZU, K. SEA TURTLE ASSOCIATION OF JAPAN. 2012. A circular notice SERA, D. FUKUI, M. ASAKAWA & H. YOKOTA. 2012. on sea turtles in 2011. Umigame Newsletter of Japan No. 90: 2-17. Relationships between carapace sizes and plasma major and trace (E-mail: [email protected]) element status in captive hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata). Journal of Veterinary Medical Science 74: 1677-1680. SEA TURTLE ASSOCIATION OF JAPAN. 2012. Report and thanks K. Suzuki, Rakuno Gakuen Univ, Dept Large Anim Clin Sci, Sch on the 22nd Japanese Sea Turtle Conference in Okinoerabujima Vet Med, 582 Midorimati, Ebetsu, Hokkaido 0698501, Japan. Island. Umigame Newsletter of Japan No. 91: 17-18. (E-mail: (E-mail: [email protected]) [email protected]) TAGO, A. 2012. Interpretation of Taimaigame-zusetu: Japanese SELIGMANN, H. 2012. Overlapping genetic codes for overlapping monograph of hawksbill turtle (1841). Umigame Newsletter of frameshifted genes in Testudines, and Lepidochelys olivacea as Japan No. 92: 2-3. (E-mail: [email protected]) special case. Computational Biology and Chemistry 41: 18-34. H. Seligmann, Hebrew Univ Jerusalem, Dept Ecology Evolution & TANAKA, H., T. ISHIHARA & N. KAMEZAKI. 2012. Species Behaviour, IL-91404 Jerusalem, Israel. (E-mail: podarcissicula@ identification and estimation of carapace length from plastral gmail.com) bones of a sea turtle. Umigame Newsletter of Japan No. 92: 7-12. (E-mail: [email protected]) SHAMBLIN, B.M., A.B. BOLTEN, K.A. BJORNDAL, P.H. DUTTON, J.T. NIELSEN, F.A. ABREU-GROBOIS, K.J. REICH, THUMS, M., S.D. WHITING, J.W. REISSER, K.L. PENDOLEY, B.E. WITHERINGTON, D.A. BAGLEY, L.M. EHRHART, A.D. C.B. PATTIARATCHI, R.G. HARCOURT, C.R. MCMAHON TUCKER, D.S. ADDISON, A. ARENAS, C. JOHNSON, R.R. & M.G. MEEKAN. 2013. Tracking sea turtle hatchlings - a CARTHY, M.M. LAMONT, M.G. DODD, M.S. GAINES, E. pilot study using acoustic telemetry. Journal of Experimental LACASELLA & C.J. NAIRN. 2012. Expanded mitochondrial Marine Biology and Ecology 440: 156-163. M. Thums, School Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 21 of Environmental Systems Engineering and the UWA Oceans Villa Venecia Calle 40B #15A-41, 4002 Maracaibo, Edo, Zulia, Institute (M470), Univ of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Venezuela. (E-mail: [email protected]) Crawley, WA 6009, Australia. (E-mail: Michele.Thums@uwa. WILLIS, K.L., J. CHRISTENSEN-DALSGAARD, D.R. KETTEN edu.au) & C.E. CARR. 2013. Middle ear cavity morphology is consistent TSENG, C-T. & I-J. CHENG. 2013. Two new records of marine with an aquatic origin for testudines. PloS One 8: e54086. K.L. ozobranchid leeches (Oligochaete: Ozobranchidae) in Taiwan. Willis, Dept of Biology, Univ of Maryland, College Park, MD, Comparative Parasitology 80: 105-109. I.J. Cheng, Institute of USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) Marine Biology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, WRIGHT, L.I., W.J. FULLER, B.J. GODLEY, A. MCGOWAN, Taiwan 202-24, R.O.C. (E-mail: [email protected]) T. TREGENZA & A.C. BRODERICK. 2013. No benefits of TURKOZAN, O., S. YALCIN OZDILEK, S. EERGENE, A. polyandry to female green turtles. Behavioral Ecology DOI: HASAN UCAR, B. SONMEZ, C. YILMAZ, Y. KACAR & C. 10.1093/Beheco/Art003: 8 pp. A.C. Broderick, Centre for Ecology AYMAK. 2013. Strandings of loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles along the eastern Mediterranean Penryn, TR10 9EZ, UK. (E-mail: [email protected]) coast of Turkey. Herpetological Journal 23: 11-15. O. Turkozan, YANG, W., I.H. CHEN, B. GLUDOVATZ, E.A. ZIMMERMANN, Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Science & Arts, Dept of R.O. RITCHIE & M.A. MEYERS. 2013. Natural flexible dermal Biology, TR-09010 Aydin, Turkey. (E-mail: [email protected]) armor. Advanced Materials 25: 31-48. R.O. Ritchie, Univ Calif VAN DE MERWE, J.P., E.J. WEST & K. IBRAHIM. 2012. Effects Berkeley, Dept Mat Sci & Engn, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA. of off-road vehicle tyre ruts on the beach dispersal of green sea (E-mail: [email protected]) turtle Chelonia mydas hatchlings. Endangered Species Research ZARE, R., M. EFTEKHAR VAGHEFI & S.J. KAMEL. 2012. 18: 27-34. J.P. van de Merwe, Griffith School of Environment Nest location and clutch success of the hawksbill sea turtle and Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith Univ Gold Coast campus, (Eretmochelys imbricata) at Shidvar Island, Iran. Chelonian QLD 4222, Australia. (E-mail: [email protected]) Conservation & Biology 11: 229-234. R. Zare, Dept of Marine VANDER ZANDEN, H.B., K.E. ARTHUR, A.B. BOLTEN, B.N. Biology, Chabahar Maritime University, Shahid Rigi Blvd, POPP, C.J. LAGUEUX, E. HARRISON, C.L. CAMPBELL Chabahar, Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. (E-mail: ru_zare@ & K.A. BJORNDAL. 2013. Trophic ecology of a green turtle yahoo.com) breeding population. Marine Ecology Progress Series 476: 237- 249. H.B. Vander Zanden, Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Dept of Biology, PO Box 118525, University of Technical Reports & Proceedings Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. (E-mail: [email protected]) BLUMENTHAL, J., A. PANAGOPOULOU & A.F. REES (Compilers). 2013. Proceedings of the Thirtieth Annual WARWICK, C., P.C. ARENA & C. STEEDMAN. 2013. Health Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. NOAA implications associated with exposure to farmed and wild sea Technical Memorandum NOAA NMFS-SEFSC-640: 177 pp. turtles. JRSM Short Reports 4: 8. Emergent Disease Foundation, Copies of this report may be obtained from: National Marine Kent TN9 1EP, U.K. (E-mail: [email protected]) Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, 75 Virginia WATANABE, M. & K. MATSUO. 2012. An anatomical report Beach Drive, Miami, FL 33149, USA. PDF available at http:// of a loggerhead turtle that had landed on Fukiagehama beach, www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/symposia.htm Kagoshima, Japan, and recaptured at the estuary of Chang Jiang BRADAI, M.N. & P. CASALE (Editors). 2012. Proceedings of the River, Jiangsu, China. Umigame Newsletter of Japan No. 91: Third Mediterranean Conference on Marine Turtles. Barcelona 15-16. (E-mail: [email protected]) Convention - Bern Convention - Bonn Convention (CMS). Tunis, WILDERMANN, N.E. & H. BARRIOS-GARRIDO. 2012. First Tunisia: 130 pp. PDF available at http://www.rac-spa.org/sites/ report of Callinectes sapidus (Decapoda: Portunidae) in the diet default/files/doc_turtles/p3c.pdf of Lepidochelys olivacea. Chelonian Conservation & Biology WHITE, M. 2012. Sea Turtles in the Cook Islands. Volume One: 11: 265-268. N.E. Wildermann, Grupo de Trabajo en Tortugas 2009-2012. Self-Published: 357 pp. Omoka, Tongareva Atoll, Marinas del Golfo de Venezuela (GTTM-GV), Urbanizacion Northern Cook Islands. (E-mail: [email protected])
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Publication of this issue was made possible by donations from the following individuals: Wallace J Nichols, Michael Salmon and organizations: International Sea Turtle Society, IUCN - Marine Turtle Specialist Group, US National Marine Fisheries Service-Office of Protected Resources, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.
The MTN-Online is produced and managed by Michael Coyne.
The opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily shared by the Editors, the Editorial Board, National Marine Fisheries Service, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, or any individuals or organizations providing financial support.
Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 22 INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS
The remit of the Marine Turtle Newsletter (MTN) is to provide Tables/Figures/Illustrations current information on marine turtle research, biology, conservation All figures should be stored as separate files: .tif or .jpeg format. and status. A wide range of material will be considered for publication The editors will scan figures, slides or photos for authors who do including editorials, articles, notes, letters and announcements. The not have access to such facilities. Tables and figures should be given aim of the MTN is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas in Arabic numerals. Photographs will be considered for inclusion. with a fast turn around to ensure that urgent matters are promptly brought to the attention of turtle biologists and conservationists References world-wide. The MTN will be published quarterly in January, April, The literature cited should include only references cited in the text. July, and October of each year. Articles, notes and editorials will be All journal titles should be given in full. Please use the following peer-reviewed. Announcements may be edited but will be included formats: in the forthcoming issue if submitted prior to the 15th of February, For an article in a journal: May, August and November respectively. All submissions should HENDRICKSON, J. 1958. The green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas be sent to the editors and not the members of the editorial board. (Linn.), in Malaya and Sarawak. Proceedings of the Royal A contact address should be given for all authors together with Zoological Society of London 130:455-535. an e-mail or fax number for correspondence regarding the article. For a book: Text MROSOVSKY, N. 1983. Conserving Sea Turtles. British To ensure a swift turnaround of articles, we ask that, where possible, Herpetological Society, London. 177pp. all submissions be in electronic format either as an attached file in For an article in an edited volume; e-mail or on compact disc in Word for Windows or saved as a text GELDIAY, R., T. KORAY & S. BALIK. 1982. Status of sea turtle file in another word-processing package. Should these formats not populations (Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas) in the northern be suitable, authors should contact the editors to seek alternative Mediterranean Sea, Turkey. In: K.A. Bjorndal (Ed.). Biology arrangements. If internet access or compatible computer facilities and Conservation of Sea Turtles. Smithsonian Institute Press, are not available, hard copies of the article can be sent to the editors Washington D.C. pp. 425-434. by mail or fax. Where there are multiple authors the initials should precede the Scientific names should be italicised and given in full in their last name except in the case of the first author: first appearance. Citations in the text should be in alphabetical BJORNDAL, K.A., A.B. BOLTEN, C.J. LAGUEUX & A. order and take the form of: (Carr et al. 1974; Hailman & Elowson CHAVES. 1996. Probability of tag loss in green turtles nesting 1992; Lagueux 1997). Please keep the number of references to at Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Journal of Herpetology 30:567-571. a minimum.
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND DONATIONS
The Marine Turtle Newsletter (MTN) is distributed quarterly to more than 2000 recipients in over 100 nations world-wide. In order to maintain our policy of free distribution to colleagues throughout the world, the MTN must receive $30,000 annually in donations. We appeal to all of you, our readers and contributors, for continued financial support to maintain this venture. All donations are greatly appreciated and will be acknowledged in a future issue of the MTN. Typical personal donations have ranged from $25-100 per annum, with organisations providing significantly more support. Please give what you can. Donations to the MTN are handled under the auspices of SEATURTLE.ORG and are fully tax deductible under US laws governing 501(c)(3) non-profit organisations. Donations are preferable in US dollars as a Credit Card payment (MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover) via the MTN website
Please make cheques or money orders payable to Marine Turtle Newsletter and send to:
Michael Coyne (Managing Editor) Marine Turtle Newsletter 1 Southampton Place Durham, NC 27705, USA
Email: [email protected]
Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 137, 2013 - Page 23