Seasonal abundance, size distribution, and blood biochemical values of loggerheads (Caretta caretta) in Port Canaveral Ship Channel, Florida

In 1991, the Waterways Experiment Station (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) developed an integrated program to evaluate relative abundance of sea turtlesin a number of channels in the southeastern U.S; that are maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was recognized that we needed to learn more about the sea turtle populations in these channels so that appropriate management plans could be developed. This Technical Memorandum summarizes the results from monthly surveys of the sea'turtle populations in the Port Canaveral Ship Channel, Florida (28°23'N, 800 33'W), from March 1992 through February 1993. The objectives of this aspect of the program were to evaluate species composition, size class frequencies, relative abundance, and seasonal and spatial distributions. In addition, baseline blood chemistry parameters'were determined for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta).