Data from: Assessing the impacts of satellite tagging on growth rates of immature hawksbill turtles

Animal-borne devices including transmitters, data loggers, and
identification tags are widely used across taxa to address important
biological and ecological questions. Some of these devices may affect
fitness, hence studies to assess device impacts are important across taxa
and developmental stages. We assessed the impact of satellite tagging on
sea turtles at a foraging site in the Indian Ocean. Hawksbill turtles
(Eretmochelys imbricata) were captured, and satellite tags (Fastloc-GPS
Argos) attached to 25 individuals between 2018-2021, with a mean straight
carapace length (SCLn-t) of 55.3 ± 6.9 cm (range = 47.9-69.5 cm; N = 21).
We recaptured 12 tagged turtles and removed 11 tags between 2021-2023 and
estimated growth rates of tagged (N = 10) and untagged (N = 44) animals
(mean SCL range = 33.3-69.4 cm) using capture-mark-recapture of 54
individuals at liberty for 730-1095 days. Growth rates decreased
exponentially as turtle size increased, and we found no significant
difference between tagged and untagged growth rates and body condition. We
also found no damage to the carapace from the tag attachment. We suggest
that tagging does not impact growth rates at this study site because the
turtles (i) typically maintain small home-ranges in the lagoon and (ii)
are benthic feeders, not actively pursuing prey. We encourage best
practice to study the effects of satellite tagging on turtle populations
around the world, as the outlook may be different for animals that swim
long distances and/or carry large devices.