Buck Island Turtles

Original provider:
USGS

Dataset credits:
Data provider
USGS Greater Everglades Sea Turtles
Originating data center
<a href='http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/' target='_blank'>Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT)</a>

Abstract:
Buck Island Reef National Monument (BIRNM), a marine protected area located in the US Virgin Islands, is a crucial nesting area for endangered hawksbills, green turtles, leatherback turtles, and loggerheads. Since the recent expansion of the USVI marine protected area at BIRNM, newly included areas have not yet been investigated for sea turtle habitat use. Thus, we are conducting a sea turtle tagging and tracking project to quantify real-time habitat-use of sea turtles within and around BIRNM. <br><br>We capture reproductive females on nesting beaches and perform a standard workup procedure on each one, including marking each turtle with internal PIT tags and taking standard measurements, blood samples, photographs, and a biopsy punch for isotope (diet) analysis. We are using these data sets to determine whether current BIRNM boundaries encompass habitats most preferred by sea turtles, determine connections between turtles at BIRNM and other protected areas, identify core areas of turtle use, and quantify time spent in and around BIRNM. Our research addresses specific Recovery Objectives outlined in the Federal Recovery Plans for multiple protected species. Our data can be used as the basis for future adaptive management of BIRNM boundaries and also assist in nesting beach surveys conducted by National Park Service (NPS). We received financial support from NPS and USGS, and substantial in-kind support from NPS, without which this project would not have been possible. <br><br>In a concurrent study, we deployed an array of 19 acoustic receivers within BIRNM to identify patterns of habitat use for nesting females and turtles captured in the water; an overarching goal of that project is to determine which areas of BIRNM turtles use most often. The NPS and other university colleagues (UMass, UVI) have initiated additional BIRNM acoustic tracking projects, which have substantially augmented and expanded our existing array of receivers to extend past BIRNM borders. We have been maintaining our receivers while collaborating with NPS and other colleagues to get the most out of the expanding array of receivers in the region. By doing so, we can identify core areas of use by all turtles (by species and life stage) and determine the amount of time spent within and outside of the BIRNM. <br>