Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-t5pn6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T10:44:15.465Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Movements of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Gulf of California: integrating satellite telemetry and remotely sensed environmental variables

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 July 2020

Alejandra G. Sandoval-Lugo Open the ORCID record for Alejandra G. Sandoval-Lugo [Opens in a new window] ,
T. Leticia Espinosa-Carreón ,
Jeffrey A. Seminoff Open the ORCID record for Jeffrey A. Seminoff [Opens in a new window] ,
Catherine E. Hart ,
César P. Ley-Quiñónez ,
A. Alonso Aguirre ,
T. Todd Jones  and
Alan A. Zavala-Norzagaray
Alejandra G. Sandoval-Lugo
Affiliation:
Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CIIDIR- SINALOA, Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias A.C., La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
T. Leticia Espinosa-Carreón
Affiliation:
Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CIIDIR- SINALOA, Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico
Jeffrey A. Seminoff
Affiliation:
NOAA-Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, California, USA
Catherine E. Hart
Affiliation:
Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias A.C., La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico Investigación, Capacitación y Soluciones Ambientas y Sociales A.C. Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico
César P. Ley-Quiñónez
Affiliation:
Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CIIDIR- SINALOA, Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias A.C., La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
A. Alonso Aguirre
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
T. Todd Jones
Affiliation:
NOAA- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Alan A. Zavala-Norzagaray*
Affiliation:
Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CIIDIR- SINALOA, Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias A.C., La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
*
Author for correspondence: Alan A. Zavala-Norzagaray, E-mail: anorzaga@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is a circumglobal species and is listed as vulnerable globally. The North Pacific population nests in Japan and migrates to the Central North Pacific and Pacific coast of North America to feed. In the Mexican Pacific, records of loggerhead presence are largely restricted to the Gulf of Ulloa along the Baja California Peninsula, where very high fisheries by-catch mortality has been reported. Records of loggerhead turtles within the Sea of Cortez also known as the Gulf of California (GC) exist; however, their ecology in this region is poorly understood. We used satellite tracking and an environmental variable analysis (chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and sea surface temperature (SST)) to determine movements and habitat use of five juvenile loggerhead turtles ranging in straight carapace length from 62.7–68.3 cm (mean: 66.7 ± 2.3 cm). Satellite tracking durations ranged from 73–293 days (mean: 149 ± 62.5 days), transmissions per turtle from 14–1006 (mean: 462 ± 379.5 transmissions) and total travel distance from 1237–5222 km (mean: 3118 ± 1490.7 km). We used travel rate analyses to identify five foraging areas in the GC, which occurred mainly in waters from 10–80 m deep, with mean Chl-a concentrations ranging from 0.28–13.14 mg m−3 and SST ranging from 27.8–34.4°C. This is the first study to describe loggerhead movements in the Gulf of California and our data suggest that loggerhead foraging movements are performed in areas with eutrophic levels of Chl-a.

Keywords

Chlorophyll concentrationGulf of Californialoggerhead turtlePlatform Transmitter Terminal (PTT)satellite trackingSea of Cortezsea surface temperature
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 100 , Issue 5 , August 2020 , pp. 817 - 824
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abecassis, M, Senina, I, Lehodey, P, Gaspar, P, Parker, D, Balazs, G and Polovina, J (2013) A model of loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) habitat and movement in the oceanic North Pacific. PLoS ONE 8, e73274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bailey, H, Benson, SR, Shillinger, GL, Bograd, SJ, Dutton, PH, Eckert, SA, Morreale, SJ, Paladino, FV, Eguchi, T, Foley, DG, Block, BA, Piedra, R, Hitipeuw, C, Tapilatu, RF and Spotila, JR (2012) Identification of distinct movement patterns in Pacific leatherback turtle populations influenced by ocean conditions. Ecological Applications 22, 735–747.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barceló, C, Domingo, A, Miller, P, Ortega, L, Giffoni, B, Sales, G, McNaughton, L, Marcovaldi, M, Heppell, S and Swimmer, Y (2013) High-use areas, seasonal movements and dive patterns of juvenile loggerhead sea turtles in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Marine Ecology Progress Series 479, 235–250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bentivegna, PF, Valentino, F and Hochscheid, S (2007) The relationship between loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) movement patterns and Mediterranean currents. Marine Biology 151, 1605–1614.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blumenthal, JM, Solomon, JL, Bell, CD, Austin, TJ, Ebanks-Petrie, G, Coyne, MS, Broderick, AC and Godley, BJ (2006) Satellite tracking highlights the need for international cooperation in marine turtle management. Endangered Species Research 2, 51–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Briscoe, DK, Parker, DM, Balazs, GH, Kurita, M, Saito, T, Okamoto, H, Polovina, JJ and Crowder, LB (2016) Active dispersal in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) during the “lost years”. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 283, 20160690. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.0690.Google Scholar
Coyne, MS and Godley B, J (2005) Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT): an integrated system for archiving, analyzing and mapping animal tracking data. Marine Ecology Progress Series 301, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dawson, TM, Formia, A, Agamboué, PD, Asseko, GM, Boussamba, F, Cardiec, F, Chartrain, E, Doherty, PD, Fay, JM, Godley, BJ, Lambert, F, Koumba Mabert, BD, Manfoumbi, JC, Metcalfe, K, Minton, G, Ndanga, I, Nzegoue, J, Kouerey Oliwina, CK, Du Plessis, P, Sounguet, G-P, Tilley, D, Witt, MJ and Maxwell, SM (2017) Informing marine protected area designation and management for nesting olive ridley sea turtles using satellite tracking. Frontiers in Marine Science 4, 312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dunham, AE, Grant, BW and Overall, KL (1989) Interfaces between biophysical and physiological ecology and the population ecology of terrestrial vertebrate ectotherms. Physiological Zoology 62, 335–355.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eguchi, T, McClatchie, S, Wilson, C, Benson, SR, LeRoux, RA and Seminoff, JA (2018) Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the California Current: abundance, distribution, and anomalous warming of the North Pacific. Frontiers in Marine Science 5, 452.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Etnoyer, P, Cannyb, D, Matec, BR, Morgand, LE, Ortega-Ortiz, JG and Nichols, WJ (2006) Sea-surface temperature gradients across blue whale and sea turtle foraging trajectories off the Baja California Peninsula. Mexico. Deep-Sea Research Part II 53, 340–358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gaxiola-Castro, G, Garcia, J and Botello-Ruvalcaba, M (1995) Spatial distribution of chlorophyll a and primary productivity in relation to winter physical structure in the Gulf of California. Continental Shelf Research 15, 1043–1053.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Godley, BJ, Blumenthal, JM, Broderick, AC, Coyne, MS, Godfrey, MH, Hawkes, LA and Witt, MJ (2008) Satellite tracking of sea turtles: where have we been and where do we go next? Endangered Species Research 4, 3–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hatase, H, Kinoshita, M, Bando, T, Sato, NK, Matsuzawa, Y and Goto, K (2002) Population structure of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting in Japan: bottlenecks on the Pacific population. Marine Biology 141, 299–305.Google Scholar
Hatase, H, Matsuzawa, Y, Sato, E, Bando, T and Goto, K (2004) Remigration and growth of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting on Senri Beach in Minabe, Japan: life-history polymorphism in a sea turtle population. Marine Biology 144, 807–811.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hawkes, LA, Broderick, AC, Coyne, MS, Godfrey, MH and Godley, BJ (2007) Only some like it hot – quantifying the environmental niche of the loggerhead sea turtle. Diversity and Distribution 13, 447–457.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hawkes, L, Tomás, J, Revuelta, O, León, Y, Blumenthal, J, Broderick, AC, Fish, M, Raga, J, Witt, M and Godley, BJ (2012) Migratory patterns in hawksbill turtles described by satellite tracking. Marine Ecology Progress Series 461, 223–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hays, GC, Mortimer, JA, Ierodiaconou, D and Esteban, N (2014) Use of long-distance migration patterns of an endangered species to inform conservation planning for the world's largest marine protected area. Conservation Biology 28, 1636–1644.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones, TT, Bostrom, B, Carey, M, Imlach, B, Mickelson, J, Eckert, S, Opay, P, Swimmer, Y, Seminoff, JA and Jones, DR (2014) Determining transmitter drag and best-practice attachment procedures for sea turtle biotelemetry studies. NOAA Technical Memorandum. NOAA-NMFS-SWFSC-480.Google Scholar
Kamezaki, NY, Matsuzawa, O, Abe, H, Asakawa, T, Fujii, K, Goto, S, Hagino, M, Hayami, M, Ishii, T, Iwamaoto, T, Kamata, H, Kato, J, Kodama, Y, Kondo, I, Miyawaki, K, Mizobuchi, Y, Nakamura, Y, Nakashima, H, Naruse, K, Omuta, M, Samejima, H, Suganuma, H, Takeshita, T, Tanaka, T, Toji, M, Uematsu, A, Yamamoto, T, Yamato, and Wakabayashi, I (2003) Loggerhead turtles nesting in Japan. In Bolten, AB and Witherington, BE (eds), Loggerhead Sea Turtles. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books, pp. 210–217.Google Scholar
Kobayashi, DR, Polovina, JJ, Parker, DM, Kamezaki, N, Cheng, IJ, Uchida, I and Balazs, GH (2008) Pelagic habitat characterization of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the North Pacific Ocean (1997–2006): insights from satellite tag tracking and remotely sensed data. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 356, 96–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koch, V, Nichols, WJ, Peckham, SH and de la Toba, V (2006) Estimates of sea turtle mortality from poaching and bycatch in Bahia Magdalena, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Biological Conservation 128, 327–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lavín, MF, Castro, R, Beier, E, Cabrera, C, Godınez, VM and Buenrostro, A (2014) Surface circulation in the Gulf of California in summer from surface drifters and satellite images (2004–2006). Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 119, 4278–4290.Google Scholar
Luschi, P, Hays, GC, Del Seppia, C, Marsh, R and Papi, F (1998) The navigational feats of green sea turtles migrating from Ascension Island investigated by satellite telemetry. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 265, 2279–2284.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Narazaki, T, Sato, K, Abernathy, KJ, Marshall, GJ and Miyazaki, N (2013) Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) use vision to forage on gelatinous prey in mid-water. PLoS ONE 8, e66043.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (2013) Sea turtle status assessment and research needs. Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/SPO. US Department of Commerce, NOAA, Silver Spring, MD. 131 pp.Google Scholar
Nichols, WJ (2002) Biology and Conservation of the Sea Turtles of Baja California. PhD Dissertation, University of Arizona, Tucson.Google Scholar
Nichols, WJ, Resendiz, A, Seminoff, JA and Resendiz, B (2000) Transpacific migration of a loggerhead turtle monitored by satellite telemetry. Bulletin of Marine Science 67, 937–947.Google Scholar
NRC (National Research Council) (2010) Assessment of Sea Turtle Status and Trends: Integrating Demography and Abundance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Parker, DM, Cooke, WJ and Balazs, GH (2005) Diet of oceanic loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the central North Pacific. Fishery Bulletin 103, 142–152.Google Scholar
Peckham, SH, Diaz, DM, Walli, A, Ruiz, G, Crowder, LB and Nichols, WJ (2007) Small-scale fisheries bycatch jeopardizes endangered Pacific loggerhead turtle. PLoS ONE 2, 1–6.Google Scholar
Peckham, SH, Maldonado-Diaz, D, Tremblay, Y, Ochoa, R, Polovina, J, Balazs, G, Dutton, H and Nichols, WJ (2011) Demographic implications of alternative foraging strategies in juvenile loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta of the North Pacific Ocean. Marine Ecology Progress Series 425, 269–280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Polovina, JJ, Howell, E, Kobayashi, DR and Seki, MP (2001) The transition zone chlorophyll front, a dynamic global feature defining migration and forage habitat for marine resources. Progress in Oceanography 49, 469–483.Google Scholar
Polovina, JJ, Uchida, I, Balazs, G, Howell, EA, Parker, D and Dutton, PH (2006) The Kuroshio Extension Bifurcation Region: a pelagic hotspot for juvenile loggerhead sea turtles. Deep-Sea Research Part II 53, 326–339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramírez-Cruz, JC, Peña-Ramírez, I and Villanueva-Flores, D (1991) Distribucion y abundancia de la tortuga perica, Caretta caretta Linnaeus (1758), en la costa occidental de Baja California Sur, Mexico. Archelon 1, 1–4.Google Scholar
Rees, AF, Alfaro-Shigueto, J, Barata, PCR, Bjorndal, KA, Bolten, AB, Bourjea, J, Broderick, AC, Campbell, LM, Cardona, L, Carreras, C, Casale, P, Ceriani, SA, Dutton, PH, Eguchi, T, Formia, A, Fuentes, MPB, Fuller, WJ, Girondot, M, Godfrey, MH, Hamman, M, Hart, K, Hays, GC, Hochscheid, S, Kaska, Y, Jensen, MP, Mangel, JC, Mortimer, JA, Naro-Maciel, E, Ng, CKY, Nichols, WJ, Phillott, AD, Reina, RD, Revuelta, O, Schofield, G, Seminoff, JA, Shanker, K, Tomás, J, Van de Merwe, J, VanHoutan, KS, Vander Zanden, HB, Wallace, BP, Wedemeyer-Strombel, KR, Work, TM and Godley, BJ (2016) Review: are we working towards global research priorities for management and conservation of sea turtles? Endangered Species Research 31, 337–382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Resendiz, A, Resendiz, B, Nichols, WJ, Seminoff, JA and Kamezaki, N (1998) First confirmed east-west transpacific movement of a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) released in Baja California, Mexico. Pacific Science 52, 151–153.Google Scholar
Roden, GI (1958) Oceanographic and meteorological aspects of the Gulf of California. Pacific Science 12, 21–45.Google Scholar
Sakamoto, W and Bando, T (1997) Migration paths of the adult female and male loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta determined through satellite telemetry. Fisheries Science 63, 547–552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seminoff, JA and Dutton, PH (2009) Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in the Gulf of California: distribution, demography, and human interactions. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 6, 137–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seminoff, JA, Resendiz, A, Resendiz, B and Nichols, WJ (2004) Occurrence of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Gulf of California, Mexico: evidence of life-history variation in the Pacific Ocean. Herpetological Review 35, 24–27.Google Scholar
Seminoff, JA, Zárate, P, Coyne, M, Foley, D, Parker, D, Lyon, B and Dutton, PH (2008) Post-nesting migrations of Galápagos green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in relation to oceanographic conditions: integrating satellite telemetry with remotely sensed ocean data. Endangered Species Research 4, 57–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seminoff, JA, Eguchi, T, Carretta, J, Allen, C, Prosperi, D, Rangel, R, Gilpatrick, JW, Forney, K and Peckham, SH (2014) Loggerhead sea turtle abundance at a foraging hotspot in the eastern Pacific Ocean: implications for at-sea conservation. Endangered Species Research 24, 207–220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Senko, JF, Megill, WM, Brooks, LB, Templeton, RP and Koch, V (2019) Developing low-cost tags: assessing the ecological impacts of tethered tag technology on host species. Endangered Species Research 39, 255–268.Google Scholar
Valencia, S (2013) Caracterización del área de alimentación de tortugas marinas en la zona marino-costera del complejo insular San Ignacio-Navachiste- Macapule, Sinaloa, Golfo de California (Unpubl. Master's Thesis). Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Guasave, Sinaloa, México.Google Scholar
Wallace, BP, Avens, L, Braun-McNeill, J and McClellan, CM (2009) The diet composition of immature loggerheads: insights on trophic niche, growth rates, and fisheries interactions. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 373, 50–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zavala-Norzagaray, AA, Ley-Quiñónez, CP, Hart, CE, Aguilar-Claussell, P, Peckham, SH and Aguirre, AA (2017) First record of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the southern Gulf of California, Sinaloa, Mexico. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 16, 106–109.Google Scholar
Zollner, PA and Lima, SL (1999) Search strategies for landscape level interpatch movements. Ecology 80, 1019–1030.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Sandoval-Lugo et al. supplementary material

Table S1

Download Sandoval-Lugo et al. supplementary material(File)
File 14.9 KB