Sea turtles

Marine turtles of the Leeward Islands, Lesser Antilles

Although marine turtles are conspicuous members of the Caribbean fauna, significant gaps remain in our knowledge of their distribution and status within the region. Nowhere is knkledge more fragmentary than for the Lesser Antilles which, following the definition of Bond (1978) , include those islands fro:> Saba and Anguilla south and east to Barbados and Grenada. Comprising 17 major islands and 16 banks, the Lesser Antilles lie in an arc some 630 km long, and provide nesting and foraging habitats for four species of marine turtles: the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) , hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) , leatherback (Dermochelys cor iacea) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) . Although the olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) .occurs peripherally in the wider Caribbean region, it is considered a waif in the Lesser Antilles. Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempi) has not been recorded from this region.

Date
1983
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Geographic location
Saba
St. Eustatius
St. Maarten

A Stage-Based Population Model for Loggerhead Sea Turtles and Implications for Conservation

Management of many species is currently based on an inadequate under- standing of their population dynamics. Lack of age-specific demographic information. particularly for long-lived iteroparous species. has impeded development of useful models. We use a Lefkovitch stage class matrix model. based on a preliminary life table developed by Frazer (1983a), to point to interim management measures and to identify those data most critical to refining our knowledge about the population dynamics of threatened log- gerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Population projections are used to examine the sen- sitivity of Frazer's life table to variations in parameter estimates as well as the likely response of the population to various management alternatives. Current management practices appear to be focused on the least responsive life stage. eggs on nesting-beaches. Alternative protection efforts for juvenile loggerheads. such as using turtle excluder devices (TEDs). may be far more effective. 

Date
1987
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Journal

Satellite tracking of sea turtles: Where have we been and where do we go next?

The use of satellite tracking for the fundamental and applied study of marine turtles began in the 1980s but has undergone rapid growth in recent years. To provide a background against which to judge the past success and future directions of these research efforts we carried out a comprehensive review of over 130 scientific papers on the use of this technique in this taxon. We show how satellite tracking has changed over time as well as outlining biases in spatial, species and lifestage coverage. Descriptions of migration routes and other habitats have offered novel insights into the basic life history patterns of some species, highlighted focal areas for conservation and reinforced the multi-national nature of the stakeholders of many populations. In foraging areas, knowledge is growing as to how animals move within dynamic seascapes, thus facilitating our understanding of 3-dimensional habitat use and seasonal patterns of behaviour. More experimental approaches have elucidated navigational capabilities and post-release survival following fisheries interaction and long-term captivity. In addition, through the Internet and other media, satellite tracking appears to have been effective in engaging public attention in many countries. Finally, we discuss why the use of the technique has increased so markedly over time and point out key areas of concern that we feel should be addressed by the community of researchers and donors who focus on sea turtles

Date
2007
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring

An Atlas of Sea Turtle Nesting Habitat for the Wider Caribbean Region. WIDECAST Technical Report No.6

Abstract:

Six species of sea turtle nest in the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR). In partnership with more than 120 Data Providers, the spatial database of nesting habitat herein assembled is the most comprehensive for any region of the world, with 1,311 nesting beaches identified in 43 WCR nations and territories, inclusive of Bermuda to the north and Brazil to the south. Because some sites host nesting by multiple species, 2,535 species-specific sites are named. Of these, 77% are categorized in terms of abundance: <25, 25-100, 100-500, 500-1,000, or >1,000 nesting crawls per year. Hawksbill and green turtles are the least known, with 33% and 24%, respecttively, of all known nesting sites associated with unknown crawl abundances.

Large nesting colonies are rare. Nesting grounds receiving more than 1,000 crawls per year range from 0.4% (hawksbill) to 7.0% (Kemp’s ridley) of all known species-specific sites. For any species, roughly half of all known nesting sites support fewer than 25 crawls (fewer than 10 reproductively active females) per year. While some nations are making exemplary progress in identifying and monitoring nesting stocks, consistent sea turtle population monitoring effort is still lacking in most areas and recent data are scarce in some jurisdictions; two archipelagic States (Bahamas, St. Vincent and the Grenadines) and Hispaniola (Dominican Republic, Haiti) have never been completely assessed.

The regulatory landscape is fragmented. Thirty (69.8%) nations and territories prohibit sea turtle exploitation year-around: 29 of 43 jurisdictions mandate indefinite protection (eight of these allow exemptions for ‘traditional’ exploitation), while Anguilla has adopted a moratorium set to expire in 2020. With the exception of the Cayman Islands, legal sea turtle fisheries are based on minimum size limits (by weight or shell length), targeting large juveniles and adults in contradistinction to the best available science on management and recovery.

Threats matrices characterizing a range of risk factors, including those that result in the loss or degradation of critical habitat, reveal that beach erosion, nest loss to predators or physical factors, artificial beachfront lighting, direct exploitation of turtles and eggs, and pollution threaten the survival of sea turtles at their nesting grounds in more than 75% of all WCR nations and territories. With regard to factors potentially hindering population recovery at foraging grounds, more than 75% of Caribbean nations and territories cite pollution, fisheries bycatch, entanglement, coral reef and/or seagrass degradation, and losses to hunters, poachers and natural predators as threatening the survival of sea turtles at sea.

The data collected and assembled will allow for further research and analysis of sea turtle abundance (including population trends at index sites) and habitat use; for example, in conjunction with other datasets to determine areas of high biodiversity or areas in need of urgent protection. The database, archived and displayed online by OBIS-SEAMAP (http://seamap.env.duke.edu/), will be updated regularly and used to establish conservation and management priorities, and to inform and improve policy at national and regional levels. Future goals of the project are to research and incorporate seagrass and coral reef data to determine nationally and regionally significant foraging areas, thus identifying marine areas in need of management attention and contributing to the development of a network of population monitoring programs, including juvenile and adult age classes, at index sites. 

Date
2007
Data type
Research report
Theme
Research and monitoring
Report number
WIDECAST Technical Report No. 6
Geographic location
Aruba
Bonaire
Curacao
Saba
St. Eustatius
St. Maarten