Tracking data from juvenile sea turtles and oceanographic surface drifters released in the Gulf 2011-2022, along with code for state space model analysis

We satellite tracked 114 wild-caught juvenile turtles (straight carapace lengths 12.3-29.9 cm) from the Gulf of Mexico between 2011-2022 to investigate “lost years” movements with respect to traditional definitions assigned to the life stage. Satellite-tracked turtles included 79 green turtles (Chelonia mydas), 26 Kemp’s ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii), 5 loggerheads (Caretta caretta), and 4 hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata). Many tracked turtles transited between oceanic (>200 m depth) and neritic waters (<200 m depth), challenging the assumption that this life stage is exclusively found in oceanic habitats. Turtle movements differed from oceanographic surface drifters, providing further evidence that sea turtles of this life stage do not exclusively drift with currents.