Original provider: The State of the World's Sea Turtles Team

Dataset credits: The State of the World's Sea Turtles Team Oceanic Society IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University

Abstract: SWOT - the State of the World's Sea Turtles - is a partnership led by Marine Flagship Species Program at the Oceanic Society and the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG), and supported by the OBIS-SEAMAP project at the Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab (MGEL), Duke University. This online database and mapping application is built with sea turtle nesting and telemetry data contributed to SWOT since 2004 and also incorporates earlier efforts that produced the WIDECAST nesting database. Since 2012, the data collection and database management are conducted by the OBIS-SEAMAP team at the Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University.

Currently, SWOT collects data from a network of more than 550 people and projects (SWOT team) for the only comprehensive, global database of sea turtle nesting sites and satellite telemetry data. The SWOT team has provided global nesting locations and satellite telemetry data of all seven marine turtle species: green, leatherback, loggerhead, hawksbill, flatback, olive ridley, and Kemp's ridley. These data have been highlighted here and in annual SWOT reports, available freely in print and online. Furthermore, SWOT supports recommendations for monitoring effort schemes (minimum data standards or MDS) that will allow for comparison of long-term nesting abundance and trend estimates for regional and global populations of sea turtle species. All data contributed to SWOT must include MDS level information to facilitate a standardized global monitoring system for sea turtles.

In addition to collating sea turtle nesting and telemetry data, SWOT provides other geospatial sea turtle data, including species regional management units, georeferenced sea turtle mtDNA and nDNA sampling sites, and a nesting habitat suitability layer. These files can be viewed and downloaded for analyses from the SWOT mapping application (http://seamap.env.duke.edu/swot) once the OBIS-SEAMAP Terms of Use are agreed upon.

Morphology, sex ratio, body condition, disease status, age structure, and growth patterns were characterized for 448 green sea turtles cold stunned in St. Joseph Bay, Florida during January 2010

Aim: Understanding the spatial ecology of animal movements is a critical element in conserving long-lived, highly mobile marine species. Analysing networks developed from movements of six sea turtle species reveals marine connectivity and can help prioritize conservation efforts. Location: Global. Methods: We collated telemetry data from 1,235 individuals and reviewed the literature to determine our dataset’s representativeness. We used the telemetry data to develop spatial networks at different scales to examine areas, connections, and their geographic arrangement. We used graph theory metrics to compare networks across regions and species and to identify the role of important areas and connections. Results: Relevant literature and citations for data used in this study had very little overlap. Network analysis showed that sampling effort influenced network structure and the arrangement of areas and connections for most networks was complex. However, important areas and connections identified by graph theory metrics can be different than areas of high data density. For the global network, marine regions in the Mediterranean had high closeness while links with high betweenness among marine regions in the South Atlantic were critical for maintaining connectivity. Comparisons among species-specific networks showed that functional connectivity was related to movement ecology, resulting in networks composed of different areas and links. Main conclusions: Network analysis identified the structure and functional connectivity of the sea turtles in our sample at multiple scales. These network characteristics could help guide the coordination of management strategies for wide-ranging animals throughout their geographic extent. Most networks had complex structures that can contribute to greater robustness, but may be more difficult to manage changes when compared to simpler forms. Area-based conservation measures would benefit sea turtle populations when directed towards areas with high closeness dominating network function. Promoting seascape connectivity of links with high betweenness would decrease network vulnerability. Methods We collated telemetry data from 1,235 individuals and reviewed the literature to determine our dataset’s representativeness. We used the telemetry data to develop spatial networks at different scales to examine areas, connections, and their geographic arrangement. We used graph theory metrics to compare networks across regions and species and to identify the role of important areas and connections.

All models run correctly as intended with latest versions of R, R Studio, all packages updated and current at the time of publication (May 2023).

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the population of Turtle town by gender, including both male and female populations. This dataset can be utilized to understand the population distribution of Turtle town across both sexes and to determine which sex constitutes the majority.

Key observations

There is a majority of male population, with 53.11% of total population being male. Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.

Scope of gender :

Please note that American Community Survey asks a question about the respondents current sex, but not about gender, sexual orientation, or sex at birth. The question is intended to capture data for biological sex, not gender. Respondents are supposed to respond with the answer as either of Male or Female. Our research and this dataset mirrors the data reported as Male and Female for gender distribution analysis. No further analysis is done on the data reported from the Census Bureau.

Variables / Data Columns

• Gender: This column displays the Gender (Male / Female)
• Population: The population of the gender in the Turtle town is shown in this column.
• % of Total Population: This column displays the percentage distribution of each gender as a proportion of Turtle town total population. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for Turtle town Population by Race & Ethnicity. You can refer the same here

Given differing trajectories of sea turtle populations worldwide, there is a need to assess and report long-term population trends and determine which conservation strategies are effective. In this study, we report on sea turtle nest monitoring in the Cayman Islands over a 22-year period. We found that green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) nest numbers increased significantly across the three islands since monitoring began in 1998, but that hawksbill nest numbers remained low with a maximum of 13 nests recorded in a season. Comparing the first 5 years of nest numbers to the most recent 5 years, the greatest percentage increase in green turtle nests was in Grand Cayman from 82 to 1,005 nests (1,126%), whereas the greatest percentage increase for loggerhead turtle nests was in Little Cayman from 10 to 290 nests (3,800%). A captive breeding operation contributed to the increase in the Grand Cayman green turtle population, however, loggerhead turtles were never captive-bred, and these populations began to increase after a legal traditional turtle fishery became inactive in 2008. Although both species have shown significant signs of recovery, populations remain at a fragment of their historical level and are vulnerable to threats. Illegal harvesting occurs to this day, with multiple females taken from nesting beaches each year. For nests and hatchlings, threats include artificial lighting on nesting beaches, causing hatchlings to misorient away from the sea, and inundation of nests by seawater reducing hatch success. The impacts of lighting were found to increase over the monitoring period. Spatial data on nest distribution was used to identify critical nesting habitat for green and loggerhead turtles and is used by the Cayman Islands Department of Environment to facilitate remediation of threats related to beachside development and for targeted future management efforts.

Mobile species often aggregate at predictable places and times to ensure that individuals find mates and breed in suitable habitats. Sea turtles demonstrate this life history trait, which can make these species highly susceptible to population declines if nesting habitats are lost or degraded. Conservation management thus requires knowledge of where and when turtles nest and changes in abundance in these habitats through time. Here, we compiled new and published data and used a novel analysis to describe seasonality, annual abundance and spatial distribution of nesting green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles in data-deficient populations that inhabit the Red Sea. Major new rookeries were identified for green turtles at Jazirat1 Mashabah (113 and 179 nesting females in 2018 and 2019) and for hawksbill turtles at Jazirat Al Waqqadi (79 nesting females in 2018), both of which are located on nearshore islands of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in an area subject to industrial, residential and ecotourism developments. An upward trend in annual abundance of nesting sea turtles was estimated at some sites including Ras Al Baridi (Saudi Arabia), a major rookery of green turtles in the Red Sea, where the annual numbers increased from 14–110 individuals in 1982–1995 to 178 and 330 individuals in 2018 and 2019. This integrative work provides the most up-to-date, comprehensive information on nesting sea turtles in the Red Sea and documents a critical baseline for sea turtle conservation and future management effort.

Maps and associated data from the Turtle Research and Monitoring Database System (TREDS). A summary of the database can be found below.

The Turtle Research and Monitoring Database System (TREDS) provides invaluable information for Pacific island countries and territories to manage their turtle resources. TREDS can be used to collate data from strandings, tagging, nesting, emergence and beach surveys as well as other biological data on turtles.

TREDS can also be used to monitor and sustainably manage marine turtle populations as well as their nesting and foraging sites. This database is currently being trialed in Samoa, American Samoa, Vanuatu, French Polynesia and Fiji.

The upgrade and update of the SPREP Regional Turtle Database is an important component of the SPREP Marine Turtle Action Plan 2003-2007, which, in 2003, recommended that the Turtle Research and Monitoring Database System be developed further.

TREDS was developed through a collaborative effort by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, NOAA Fisheries, Queensland Government Environmental Protection Agency, South-East Asia Fisheries Development Centre and the Marine Research Foundation.

The development of TREDS continues with trials in a few SPREP member countries and territories before it is distributed to the wider SPREP region.

Summary of the BRIDES node selection procedure providing the minimum number of nodes required to reach a maximal score, and the number of multiple solutions with the same score for different scenarios and weighted model schemes.

Sea turtles are vulnerable to climate change impacts in both their terrestrial (nesting beach) and oceanic habitats. From 1982 to 2012, air and sea surface temperatures at major high use foraging and nesting regions (n = 5) of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting in Greece have steadily increased. Here, we update the established relationships between sea surface temperature and nesting data from Zakynthos (latitude: 37.7°N), a major nesting beach, while also expanding these analyses to include precipitation and air temperature and additional nesting data from two other key beaches in Greece: Kyparissia Bay (latitude: 37.3°N) and Rethymno, Crete (latitude: 35.4°N). We confirmed that nesting phenology at Zakynthos has continued to be impacted by breeding season temperature; however, temperature has no consistent relationship with nest numbers, which are declining on Zakynthos and Crete but increasing at Kyparissia. Then using statistically downscaled outputs of 14 climate models assessed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we projected future shifts in nesting for these populations. Based on the climate models, we projected that temperature at the key foraging and breeding sites (Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, Crete, Gulf of Gabès and Zakynthos/Kyparissia Bay; overall latitudinal range: 33.0°—45.8°N) for loggerhead turtles nesting in Greece will rise by 3–5°C by 2100. Our calculations indicate that the projected rise in air and ocean temperature at Zakynthos could cause the nesting season in this major rookery to shift to an earlier date by as much as 50–74 days by 2100. Although an earlier onset of the nesting season may provide minor relief for nest success as temperatures rise, the overall climatic changes to the various important habitats will most likely have an overall negative impact on this population.

Hawksbill turtles are classified Critically Endangered by the IUCN following intense commercial exploitation that decimated global stocks. Despite Australia supporting one of the largest breeding …Show full descriptionHawksbill turtles are classified Critically Endangered by the IUCN following intense commercial exploitation that decimated global stocks. Despite Australia supporting one of the largest breeding aggregations worldwide, hawksbill turtle biology and ecology remains poorly documented, especially for populations nesting in the Northern Territory. This study focused on the internationally significant hawksbill turtle population breeding in Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and aimed at providing high resolution information for managing this critically endangered species. By using multiple state-of-the-art analytical frameworks and combining satellite telemetry, hydrological modelling, and tag recapture data, we (i) assessed habitat utilisation during the inter-nesting and foraging periods, (ii) quantified migratory behaviour for better understanding of navigational strategies , and (iii) simulated post-hatchling dispersal patterns, which we subsequently compared to the location of adult foraging grounds. This metadata record, represents several different datasets listed hereafter, which can all be accessed through a multi-WFS service. CTD - Data parameters measured by the instruments include time, temperature, and depth. The data represented by this record are presented in delayed mode. GPS - Location data parameters measured by the instruments include time, longitude, latitude, location quality, along with other diagnostic information. The Fastloc GPS data represented by this record are presented in delayed mode. Argos - Location data parameters measured by the instruments include time, longitude, latitude, location quality, along with other diagnostic information provided by Argos (http://www.argos-system.org/). The Argos data represented by this record are presented in delayed mode. Haulout - A haulout begins when the SRDL has been continuously dry for a specified length of time (usually 10 minutes). It ends when continuously wet for another interval (usually 40 seconds). Haulout data parameters measured by the instruments include haulout start and end dates and longitude/latitude, and haulout number. The haulout data represented by this record are presented in delayed mode. Diving - Diving data parameters measured by the instruments include start and end time and longitude/latitude of each individual dive, post-dive surface duration, dive duration, maximum dive depth, intermediate dive depths and times. The diving data represented by this record are presented in delayed mode. Summary - As well as sending records of individual events such as dives and haulouts, the SRDL also calculates summary statistics of those events over a specified time period (usually 3, 4 or 6 hours). Summary statistics computed by the instruments include the proportion of time spent diving, at the surface and hauled-out, the number of dives, and the average, standard deviation and maximum dive duration and dive depth during each summary period. These statistics are based on all the data recorded by the SRDL and so are not prone to distortion by variations in the efficiency of transmission via Argos. The summary data represented by this record are presented in delayed mode. Note that it is impossible to subset this particular dataset using a bounding box as there is no latitude, longitude coordinates associated with each entry.

The NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette is departing on a 27-day research expedition through the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) to support research and recovery of the endangered Hawaiian monk seals. During its voyage from May 15 to June 10, the Sette will deploy researchers and their equipment at 5 sites: French Frigate Shoals, Laysan Island, Lisianski Island, Pearl and Hermes Reef and Kure Atoll in the NWHI.The crew of Sette will transport tents, stoves, solar power arrays, computers, small boats, and provisions sufficient to sustain teams of 1-4 scientists at each location for 3 months. Everything brought ashore must be quarantined, transported by hand, and shuttled on small boats from the ship to the islands. This extra care is necessary because the scientists want to protect these fragile ecosystems where there are very few invasive species. Biologists will also take day trips to survey Ni'ihau Island, Niho Island, Mokumanamana Island, and Midway Atoll.On sites that are difficult to access, such as Nihoa and Mokumanamana Islands, biologists will deploy a hexacopter (an unmanned aerial system (UAS)). The UAS will map beach erosion, vegetation, marine debris, and infrastructure, and assess the monk seal population and disturbances. This web map includes the daily updates and photos from the joint field season of Hawaiian Monk Seal Research program and Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The map also includes other general information about the islands where the teams are camping in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. The web map is used for Story Map of the 2019 field season of Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, "Partnering to protect and study Hawaiian monk seals and sea turtles". For more information about the program please visit the NOAA Fisheries Website.

Original provider: Aubrey Strydom

Dataset credits: Data provider Aubrey Strydom Originating data center Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT) Project partner Aubrey Strydom.
Sandy Cape Lighthouse Volunteer Caretakers.
Lower Mary River Land and Catchment Care Group Inc.
Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management.
Queensland Parks & Wildlife, K'gari-Fraser Island.
Queensland Parks & Wildlife, Great Sandy Marine Park.
Queensland Turtle Conservation Research Program: Aquatic Threatened Species Unit, (Department of Environment & Science)
Sirtrack, NZ
Wildlife Computers, Redmond, WA

Abstract: See Project ID 1151 for tracking of courting greens from Sandy Cape: http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=1151

The traditional owners of K'gari (Fraser Island), the Butchulla people, gained Native Title over much of K'gari in 2014, and we acknowledge their long heritage on and nurturing of this beautiful land, and wish them well with their new opportunities.
The idea of monitoring nesting turtles in the Sandy Cape rookery on K'gari-Fraser Island was initiated in the 1992-3 season by Rowan Foley, a Butchulla man, who was then employed as a Ranger by Queensland (National) Parks and Wildlife Service, (QNPWS, now QPWS) and as a result some nest and track-count monitoring was undertaken by long-time annual campers Karl & Sue Klein, and the Lighthouse Keepers, Dudley & Sue Fulton, & Aubrey Strydom & Lainie Rowe.

Rowan's report recommending that a turtle census be undertaken was accepted by QPWS and in the 1993-4 season Steve Price - QPWS 2IC Ranger at Waddy Point, with the support of his RIC Bart Klekar, came to the top end of K'gari-Fraser Island with the two Michaels - volunteers from the Mon Repos Turtle Rookery.
A number of Park Rangers and the Lighthouse Keepers were inducted into turtle species I.D., flipper tagging, and data sheet entry and so began an 18 year monitoring program, with a 17 night mid-season nesting census and flipper tagging of all turtles coming ashore during the census across the 44km of beach from Rooney Point to Ngkala Rocks.
In that first season the first nest relocations to near the Lighthouse gate by vehicle was trialed, using three doomed clutches laid below the king tide level.

This was successful and since then 5 nest relocation cages with a total capacity of 120 clutches have been developed at strategic locations along the rookery, and recently also at Orchid Beach, to enable protection of doomed loggerhead and green clutches, and to provide protection for a percentage of loggerhead clutches from vehicle and camping impacts, and dingo and goanna (monitor lizard) depredation.

In the first few years in the 1990's between 50 to 100 greens, but only 5 to 7 loggerheads were nesting annually, and drowned adult loggerhead turtles were being found washed up on the beach.

Nesting numbers increased to twelve to fifteen loggerheads a year from 1997 when a seasonal 3 to 5 km wide trawl exclusion zone was established along the NW beach between Rooney Point and Sandy Cape, and then climbed to near 50 nesting each year after the introduction of TEDs, (Turtle Exclusion Devices) in the Queensland trawl fishery nets in 2001.
Currently annually about 40 to 50 loggerheads nest along the 44 kilometers of the Rooney Point to Sandy Cape to Ngkala Rocks rookery, and between 50 and 100 loggerhead nests are protected by relocation each season, by the Sandy Cape Lighthouse Volunteer Caretakers, in a program supported by QPWS.

Green nests are not generally relocated, as the Southern Barrier Reef green turtle population is still slowly increasing since turtle protection in Queensland began in the early 1950s, and these eggs support the Wongari (Dingo) population as part of their natural diet.

While sometimes up to 600 greens nest in a season, and as few as 3 the next season, most commonly between 50 and 100 green turtles come in to nest each year. This variability provides some protection to the greens clutches by sometimes alternatively flooding the predators' diet one season with a mass nesting and starving them the next.

A study of dingo impacts on the nests saw nest depredation vary between 15% in a season when there was a mass nesting of over 250 greens and 85% when there were only about 30 greens nesting.

A potential new threat to the rookery is the advance of feral foxes and pigs up K'gari-Fraser Island. They are in large numbers on the adjacent mainland and are good swimmers.
In recent years foxes have been sighted at Awinya Creek, only 30 to 40 kilometers from either end of the Sandy Cape rookery, and in December 2018 a feral pig was seen on the beach in the rookery only 5km south of Sandy Cape.
Monitoring of nests for any pig and fox impacts will guide management plans to provide further protection.

Over the years since 1993 over 500 male green turtles were tagged courting in the shallows or basking on the beach, and a correlation between their numbers and the size of the concurrent green nesting season was observed. Some were found to be carrying flipper tags from the Shoalwater Bay turtle rodeo program, and K'gari-Fraser Island tagged males were being found at Shoalwater Bay, and in the Whitsundays.

It was found that female green turtles tagged on the Island in the September/October courting season were being seen that season nesting further north at other rookeries in the Southern Great Barrier Reef, and at the Wongarra Coast and Wreck Rock mainland rookeries.

In 2014 two males were tagged while courting at Sandy Cape and one returned home to Shoalwater Bay Qld, and one to the outer Barrier Reef near Olympic Reef.

The green female April O'Moreton, who had been tagged as a juvenile in 1992 in Moreton Bay was found courting at Sandy Cape in 2015 and given a satellite tracker, and she moved on to nest at North West Island in the Capricorn Bunker group.

In the 2015-16 season the project also tracked 5 green males and in 2016-17 a further 6 green males, to expand the knowledge of where they come from to court at Fraser Island, what connectivity they have to other known courting areas, and to examine the areas in the Great Sandy Marine Park they use during their courting sojourn.

Three females were tracked in the 2016-17 season - one with a history of nesting at K'gari-Fraser Island, one known to forage in the Whitsundays, and one known to nest at Wreck Island in 1998 in the Capricorn Bunker group.

In November 2017, 3 nesting loggerhead females and 8 nesting green females, and in December 2018, 5 nesting loggerhead females were given trackers, to enable comparison of the female's inter-nesting habitat use with that of the males courting habitat, and help inform an assessment of the adequacy of the seasonal go-slow and no-trawl zones in the Great Sandy Marine Park.

Original provider: Queensland Turtle Conservation Project - Col Limpus & Aubrey Strydom

Dataset credits: Data provider Aubrey Strydom Originating data center Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT) Project partner Aubrey Strydom.
Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management.
Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation
Butchulla Land & Sea Rangers
Butchulla Native Title Aboriginal Corporation
Lower Mary River Land and Catchment Care Group Inc.
Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee.
Queensland Parks & Wildlife, Great Sandy Marine Park.
Queensland Parks & Wildlife, K'gari-Fraser Island.
Queensland Turtle Conservation Research Program: Aquatic Threatened Species Unit, (Department of Environment & Science)
Sandy Cape Lighthouse Volunteer Caretakers.
Sirtrack, New Zealand.
Wildlife Computers, Redmond, Washington. Project sponsor or sponsor description In February 2022 a prominent British Broadcaster's Natural History Unit donated over $4,000 towards flipper tagging equipment and hand held GPS units for the project.

In January 2022 Warner Bros TV Productions (London) donated over $4,000 towards diesel fuel & 2 x Cel-Fi mobile phone repeaters for the Lighthouse Cottages.

Lower Mary River Land and Catchment Care Group Inc and Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management provided the turtle catch trailer, sponsored two trackers and their Argos data for six months, and found grants for diesel fuel for the seasons 2014-2022.

The Sandy Cape Lighthouse Volunteer Caretakers came in their own 4x4 vehicles and spent uncounted kilometers and hours relocating loggerhead nests to the secure hatchery cages.

Aub Strydom funded 32 trackers (7 before we started with seaturtle.org and not shown on this page.) and the Argos data fees for 23 trackers.

Queensland Turtle Conservation Research Program: Aquatic Threatened Species Unit, (Department of Environment & Science) provided the Argos data fees for 7 trackers.

Sirtrack NZ sponsored one tracker and provided another free at the 4th Australian Sea Turtle Symposium Silent Auction which we were able to bid for at a good price. (used on 2 Cc females - neither shown on this tracking site.)

ARGOS CSL provided the data free for the Silent Auction tracker.

Wildlife Computers provided the data and a new Mk10 GPS Depth & Temperature tracker & a Mini Spot6 tracker for us to to Beta test. (On a Cc male and a Cm male - Neither shown on this tracking site)

Abstract: 63 turtles have been tracked from Sandy Cape.
44 are shown here, and a further 15 green males, 1 loggerhead male and 3 loggerhead females have been tracked but the data is not captured in seaturtle.org
Totals are:
30 green males
14 green females
1 loggerhead male
18 loggerhead females

Project Sponsors and Partners are acknowledged at the bottom of this web page.

The traditional owners of K'gari (Fraser Island), the Butchulla people, gained Native Title over much of K'gari in 2014, and we acknowledge their long heritage on and nurturing of this beautiful land.
The idea of monitoring nesting turtles in the Sandy Cape rookery on K'gari-Fraser Island was initiated in the 1992-3 season by Rowan Foley, a Butchulla man, who was then employed as a Ranger by Queensland (National) Parks and Wildlife Service, (QNPWS, now QPWS) and as a result some nest and track-count monitoring was undertaken by long-time annual campers Karl & Sue Klein, and the Lighthouse Keepers, Dudley & Sue Fulton, & Aubrey Strydom & Lainie Rowe.

Rowan's report recommending that a turtle census be undertaken was accepted by QPWS and in the 1993-4 season Steve Price - QPWS 2IC Ranger at Waddy Point, with the support of his RIC Bart Klekar, came to the top end of K'gari-Fraser Island with the two Michaels - volunteers from the Mon Repos Turtle Rookery.
A number of Park Rangers and the Lighthouse Keepers were inducted into turtle species I.D., flipper tagging, and data sheet entry and so began an 18 year monitoring program, with a 17 night mid-season nesting census and flipper tagging of all turtles coming ashore during the census across the 44km of beach from Rooney Point to Ngkala Rocks.
In that first season the first nest relocations to near the Lighthouse gate by vehicle was trialed, using three doomed clutches laid below the king tide level.

This was successful and since then 5 nest relocation cages with a total capacity of 120 clutches have been developed at strategic locations along the rookery, and recently also at Orchid Beach, to enable protection of doomed loggerhead and green clutches, and to provide protection for a percentage of loggerhead clutches from vehicle and camping impacts, and dingo and goanna (monitor lizard) depredation.

In the first few years in the mid 1990's between 50 to 100 greens, but only 5 to 7 loggerheads were nesting annually, and drowned adult loggerhead turtles were being found washed up on the beach.

Nesting numbers increased to twelve to fifteen loggerheads a year from 1997 when a seasonal 3 to 5 km wide trawl exclusion zone was established along the NW beach between Rooney Point and Sandy Cape, and then climbed to near 50 nesting each year after the introduction of TEDs, (Turtle Exclusion Devices) in the Queensland trawl fishery nets in 2001.
Currently annually about 50 loggerheads nest along the 44 kilometers of the Rooney Point to Sandy Cape to Ngkala Rocks rookery, and between 50 and 100 loggerhead nests are protected by relocation each season, by the Sandy Cape Lighthouse Volunteer Caretakers, in a program supported by QPWS.

Green nests are not generally relocated, as the Southern Barrier Reef green turtle population is still slowly increasing since turtle protection in Queensland began in the early 1950s, and these eggs support the Wongari (Dingo) population as part of their natural diet.

While occasionally over 600 greens have been found to nest in a season, and as few as 3 the next season, most commonly between 50 and 100 green turtles come in to nest each year. This variability provides some protection to the greens clutches by sometimes alternatively flooding the predators' diet one season with a mass nesting and starving them the next.

A study of dingo impacts on the nests saw nest depredation vary between 15% in a season when there was a mass nesting of over 250 greens and 85% when there were only about 30 greens nesting.

A potential new threat to the rookery is the advance of feral foxes and pigs up K'gari-Fraser Island. They are in large numbers on the adjacent mainland and are good swimmers.
In recent years foxes have been sighted at Awinya Creek, only 30 to 40 kilometers from either end of the Sandy Cape rookery, and in December 2018 a feral pig was seen on the beach in the rookery only 5km south of Sandy Cape.
Monitoring of nests for any pig and fox impacts will guide management plans to provide further protection.

Over the years since 1993 over 500 male green turtles were tagged courting in the shallows or basking on the beach, and a correlation between their numbers and the size of the concurrent green nesting season was observed. Some were found to be carrying flipper tags from the Shoalwater Bay turtle rodeo program, and K'gari-Fraser Island tagged males were being found at Shoalwater Bay, and in the Whitsundays.

It was found that female green turtles tagged on the Island in the September/October courting season were being seen that season nesting further north at other rookeries in the Southern Great Barrier Reef, and at the Wongarra Coast and Wreck Rock mainland rookeries.

In 2014 two males were tagged while courting at Sandy Cape and one returned home to Shoalwater Bay and one to the outer Barrier Reef near Olympic Reef.

The green female April O'Moreton, who had been tagged as a juvenile in 1992 in Moreton Bay was found courting at Sandy Cape in 2015 and given a satellite tracker, and she moved on to nest at North West Island in the Capricorn Bunker group.

In the 2015-16 season the project also tracked 5 green males and in 2016-17 a further 6 green males, to expand the knowledge of where they come from to court at Fraser Island, what connectivity they have to other known
courting areas, and to examine the areas in the Great Sandy Marine Park they use during their courting sojourn.
While many of these returned to nearby foraging home ranges, the most distant male home foraging range was of a turtle who swam to the Great Lakes near Pt Stephens, NSW.

Three green females were tracked in the 2016-17 season - one with a history of nesting at K'gari-Fraser Island, one known to forage in the Whitsundays, and one known to nest at Wreck Island in 1998 in the Capricorn Bunker group.

In November 2017, 3 nesting loggerhead females and 8 nesting green females, and in each of December 2018, and December 2022 a further 5 nesting loggerhead females were given trackers, to enable comparison of the female's inter-nesting habitat use with that of the males courting habitat, and help inform an assessment of the adequacy of the seasonal go-slow and no-trawl zones in the Great Sandy Marine Park.

3 courting green males were tracked 2021-2022, with one returning to a home foraging range in New Caledonia, and a further 3 tracked in 2022-23.

2 courting green females and 10 green males, and 3 more loggerhead females are being tracked in 2023-24. 6 of these males are tracked via the Iridum satellites and not captured here.

Supplemental information: Visit STAT's project page for additional information.

This dataset is a summarized representation of the telemetry locations

Original provider: Duke University Marine Laboratory

Dataset credits: Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University

Abstract: This dataset contains locational information of marine mammal, sea bird, sea turtle sightings off of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in August, 2004.

Purpose: http://www.whoi.edu/science/PO/hatterasfronts/marinemammal.html

Our objective is to map the distribution of upper-trophic predators with respect to physical and biological gradients across the NC shelf. A team of observers used standardized population sampling techniques, including line-transect and strip transect methods, to survey the distribution and abundance of marine mammals, birds and turtles. By repeatedly surveying the study area in conjunction with physical and biological measurements from in-situ and remote-sensing platforms, we will quantify how these predators respond to changes in the oceanography of this dynamic region over short time scales (days) and across seasons (summer - winter).

Supplemental information: [2020-09-30] The following invalid species names were corrected according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Bonaparte's Gull: Larus philadelphia (176839) => Chroicocephalus philadelphia (824040)

Where Current Collide website: http://www.whoi.edu/science/PO/hatterasfronts/index.html

In addition to the sighting data, effort data and environmental data were recorded. This dataset, therefore, should be used with the effort data.

European Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur have experienced a sharp decline in population numbers over past decades. Much uncertainty exists about the main cause or causes. Several pressures have been suggested, but because they affect different stages of the life cycle of the Turtle Dove, it is difficult to compare their contributions to population decline. Here we applied a full life cycle approach to study how different pressures may have resulted in the decline. This was achieved by combining a review of existing literature on possible threats, pressures, and the vital rates they concerned, with the analysis of an age-structured matrix model. The population model was parameterized using estimates from a mark-recapture analysis and supplemented with vital rate estimates from the literature. Comparison with a Life Table Response Experiment (LTRE) was used to determine whether the Turtle Dove literature focusses on those vital rates in which the most important changes have taken place over time. The population model projected a similar decline to that observed in population counts. The LTRE analysis showed that declines in the number of clutches (halved since the 1960s) and in juvenile survival (relative annual rate of change of -1.33% since the 1950s) contributed most to the decline in the projected population growth rate. Although these vital rates are often reported as possible causes of population decline, the reviewed studies often focused on specific reproductive stages, such as egg survival or nestling survival, which did not show a large temporal change. Thus, there is a partial mismatch between our modelling results and the focus in the literature. Juvenile survival is thought to be affected by hunting, degradation of wintering habitat and infection with Trichomonas gallinae, while loss of foraging habitat seems to affect the number of clutches. The focus of conservation measures should therefore be on these threats and pressures. The first steps have already been taken with completion of the international single species action plan for the conservation of the Turtle Dove and the implementation of the first conservation measures on the breeding grounds.

Management of species of conservation concern requires knowledge of demographic parameters, such as rates of recruitment, survival, and growth. In the Caribbean, hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) have been historically exploited in huge numbers to satisfy trade in their shells and meat. In the present study, we estimated growth rate of juvenile hawksbill turtles around Anegada, British Virgin Islands, using capture–mark–recapture of 59 turtles over periods of up to 649 days. Turtles were recaptured up to six times, having moved up to 5.9 km from the release location. Across all sizes, turtles grew at an average rate of 9.3 cm year−1 (range 2.3–20.3 cm year−1), and gained mass at an average of 3.9 kg year−1 (range 850 g–16.1 kg year−1). Carapace length was a significant predictor of growth rate and mass gain, but there was no relationship between either variable and sea surface temperature. These are among the fastest rates of growth reported for this species, with seven turtles growing at a rate that would increase their body size by more than half per year (51–69% increase in body length). This study also demonstrates the importance of shallow water reef systems for the developmental habitat for juvenile hawksbill turtles. Although growth rates for posthatching turtles in the pelagic, and turtles larger than 61 cm, are not known for this population, the implications of this study are that Caribbean hawksbill turtles in some areas may reach body sizes suggesting sexual maturity in less time than previously considered. Hawkes et al. raw dataComma separated values file of all unfiltered hawksbill turtle captures used in this study.AnegadaGrowth_toDryad.csv

Background and aims

Overwintering is a critical part of the annual cycle of animals living at high latitudes, and selection of overwintering sites (hibernacula) is important to population persistence. Identifying the overwintering sites of aquatic species is challenging in areas where water bodies are frozen for significant parts of the year. We tested whether environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches could help to locate them.

Materials and methods

We conducted environmental DNA surveys of underwater overwintering sites of the northern map turtle (Graptemys geographica), a species of conservation concern in Canada. We collected water samples under the ice in winter across a mid†sized temperate lake and used quantitative PCR with a species†specific probe to quantify concentrations of map turtle eDNA.

Results and discussion

We found localized eDNA signals consistent with known overwintering sites and one previously suspected site. The latter was further confirmed using underwate...

This project addresses major gaps in knowledge on vital rates such as age to maturity, survival, sex ratios, and population size (including the males)whcih have made it difficult to conduct meaningful population and risk assessments. Although vital rates are difficult to observe directly, genetic analysis provides a practical approach to understand these processes. Understanding the proportion of males to females in any population has important consequences for population demographic studies. Using hatchling and maternal DNA fingerprints, one can deduce the paternal genotypes ? from one to many fathers per clutch. The resulting genotypes represent individual males that are actively breeding in the population. This means that males can effectively be sampled without ever having seen them or having to catch them in the field. The nesting population on St. Croix is an important US Index Population for leatherbacks that has been intensively monitored using a variety of Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR) methods since 1981 (Dutton et al. 2005). Due to the richness and consistency of the demographic data, this population offers unique opportunities for research and development of tools & approaches for getting at vital rate parameters that are needed to improve stock assessments in sea turtles, as identified in the recent NRC Report (2010). These approaches can then be applied to other populations, e.g. the critically endangered Pacific leatherback. We have developed non-injurious in-situ techniques to mass sample large numbers of live hatchlings for genetic fingerprinting as part of a long term CMR experiment, and also demonstrated the feasibility of using hatchling genotyping and kinship analysis to determine the genotypes and number of breeding males in the population (Stewart & Dutton 2011). We have sampled a total of 17,087 hatchlings between 2009-2011 as part of this project, will continue field effort in 2012 toward the goal of a minimum sampling of 50,000 hatchlings over the next 2-4 years. At an appropriate time in the future, we will use high throughput genotyping methods currently being developed in the next 2-4 years to create a database of individual hatchling identifications (?genetic tags?) that will be compared to those first time nesters sampled annually into the future. This project will also genotype a subset of the samples collected in 2011 to assess males in two consecutive seasons for a more accurate census of the number of males in the breeding population and to determine the extent of male fidelity and breeding periodicity. Objectives include 1) mass-tagging of leatherback hatchlings for Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR) studies to determine age at first reproduction and age-specific survival rates and 2) application of kinship approaches to reconstruct parental genotypes from mother-offspring comparison to census males, determine operational sex ratios (OSR) of the breeding population, reproductive success of males and mating system.

NOTE: This map service contains a copy of the Section 7 Consultation Area database, slightly reorganized to support the Greater Atlantic Region Section 7 Mapper application. It was not developed with the intent of being viewed on its own. We strongly recommend viewing the linked application to see this map service in its intended context. The original geodatabase:https://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=b0421f7c43014cbd98067e3c7d04f939The application:https://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=1bc332edc5204e03b250ac11f9914a27This dataset is intended as guidance for Federal action agencies in consideration of Section 7 (S7) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The areas depicted represent locations where the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) has identified species presence and areas of critical habitat for use by Federal action agencies during S7 consultation. S7 Consultation Areas delineate locations where listed species are potentially affected within a river/estuary/marine zone. The Consultation Areas specify which life stages and behaviors may be affected. Please note that due to data limitations, if a Federal action agency project (and associated action area) is outside of a major waterway (e.g., in a very small tributary, or shallow area near a marsh), S7 Consultation Areas may lack the spatial resolution to capture the action area. Therefore, activities outside a Consultation Area but within a certain proximity may still affect the species identified within the Consultation Area. GARFO encourages Federal action agencies to request technical assistance to verify presence/absence of listed species when making consultation determinations. If a user knows of more recent information that is not reflected in the S7 Consultation Area data, please notify us so that we can make appropriate updates (zachary.jylkka@noaa.gov). The NOAA Greater Atlantic Region includes: the states of ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC, VA, WV, OH, MI, IN, IL, WI and MN; Atlantic waters of the US Exclusive Economic Zone from the NC/VA border to US/Canada Maritime Boundary; and US waters of the Great Lakes. Atlantic Large Whales: This data depicts a best estimate of the range of Atlantic large whales in waters of the Greater Atlantic Region as guidance for action agencies. Please note that the distribution of these species may not be exclusively limited to the areas included. Sea Turtles: Sea turtle species in the Greater Atlantic Region include loggerhead, Kemp's ridley, leatherback, and green sea turtles. Hawksbill sea turtles are rare in the Greater Atlantic Region and are not included. Sea turtles move north into these waters in the spring, arriving in more southern waters of the mid-Atlantic in mid-April/May and the Gulf of Maine in June. In the fall, this trend is reversed with most sea turtles leaving Greater Atlantic Region waters by the end of November. Outside of these times, sea turtle presence in these waters is considered unlikely. Atlantic Salmon: The Gulf of Maine distinct population segment (DPS) of Atlantic salmon are an anadromous species found within rivers of Maine, as well as coastal waters encompassed by the Gulf of Maine, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Grand Bank, and the Labrador Sea. NOAA Fisheries has ESA Section 7 jurisdiction over Atlantic salmon in marine and estuarine waters, while the Fish & Wildlife Service has jurisdiction in freshwater. Please note that the distribution of these species may not be exclusively limited to the areas included. Atlantic Sturgeon: There are four distinct population segments (DPS) of Atlantic sturgeon listed as endangered (New York Bight, Chesapeake Bay, Carolina, and South Atlantic) and one DPS listed as threatened (Gulf of Maine) under the ESA. The range for all five DPSs includes marine waters, coastal bays and estuaries, and coastal river systems from the Labrador Inlet in Labrador, Canada to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Shortnose Sturgeon: Shortnose sturgeon are endangered throughout their range, and occur in Atlantic Ocean waters and associated bays, estuaries, and coastal river systems from Minas Basin, Nova Scotia, Canada, to the St. Johns River, Florida. They spend the majority of their lives within coastal river systems, and only adults occur in marine waters, with some adults making coastal migrations between river systems.