scholarly journals Critical In-Water Habitats for Post-Nesting Sea Turtles from the Southern Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 793
Author(s):  
Abigail Uribe-Martínez ◽  
María de los Angeles Liceaga-Correa ◽  
Eduardo Cuevas
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
Marine Turtle ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
The Bahamas ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Large Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Physical Features

Marine turtles are globally endangered species that spend more than 95% of their life cycle in in-water habitats. Nevertheless, most of the conservation, recovery and research efforts have targeted the on-land habitats, due to their easier access, where adult females lay their eggs. Targeting the large knowledge gaps on the in-water critical habitats of turtles, particularly in the Large Marine Ecosystem Gulf of Mexico, is crucial for their conservation and recovery in the long term. We used satellite telemetry to track 85 nesting females from their beaches after they nested to identify their feeding and residency habitats, their migratory corridors and to describe the context for those areas. We delimited major migratory corridors in the southern Gulf of Mexico and West Caribbean and described physical features of internesting and feeding home ranges located mainly around the Yucatan Peninsula and Veracruz, Mexico. We also contributed by describing general aggregation and movement patterns for the four marine turtle species in the Atlantic, expanding the knowledge of the studied species. Several tracked individuals emigrated from the Gulf of Mexico to as far as Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Bahamas. This information is critical for identifying gaps in marine protection and for deciphering the spatial connectivity in large ocean basins, and it provides an opportunity to assess potential impacts on marine turtle populations and their habitats.

scholarly journals Ecological Vulnerability of Adult Female Marine Turtles as Indicators of Opportunities for Regional Socioecosystem Management in the Southern Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 184
Author(s):  
María de los Angeles Liceaga-Correa ◽  
Abigail Uribe-Martínez ◽  
Eduardo Cuevas
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Turtle ◽  
Natural Protected Areas ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Marine Turtles ◽  
Ecological Vulnerability ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Functional Components

Planning for marine ecosystems management demands spatially explicit information about structural and functional components, in a tradeoff between including the most taxa and keeping it functional. Sentinel, umbrella, and surrogate taxa are strategic for developing indexes that account for other associated species and contribute to a sustainable administration of our seas. Marine turtles feature the former species descriptions, and the knowledge on their ecology contributes to design conservation and restoration strategies in regions they occupy, such as the Gulf of Mexico. Several administrative tools exist to govern marine territories for biodiversity conservation, and assessing how these tools interact with the ecological vulnerability of endangered species is crucial for improving public policies. We assessed the spatial interactions among ecological sensitivity, vulnerability, and the potential impacts on four marine turtle species in the southern Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Caribbean Sea with territorial management tools (natural protected areas, marine priority sites, and ecoregions). A small percentage of the most vulnerable areas is inside natural protected areas, while marine priority sites include a higher percentage. We identified spatial covering gaps that need to be addressed to ensure the conservation and recovery of these endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico and proposed key regions for maximizing territorial conservation.

Building an ecosystems-type fisheries management approach for the Campeche Bank, subarea in the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 143-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Arreguín-Sánchez ◽  
Pablo del Monte Luna ◽  
Manuel Jesús Zetina-Rejón ◽  
Arturo Tripp-Valdez ◽  
Mirtha O. Albañez-Lucero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Large Marine Ecosystem

scholarly journals First Spatial Distribution Analysis of Male Sea Turtles in the Southern Gulf of Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Cuevas ◽  
Nathan F. Putman ◽  
Abigail Uribe-Martínez ◽  
Melania C. López-Castro ◽  
Vicente Guzmán-Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Distribution Analysis ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico

In the Gulf of Mexico, the bulk of published studies for sea turtles have focused on northern (United States) waters where economic resources are centered, with fewer studies in the southern portion of the basin, resulting in significant knowledge gaps in these underrepresented areas. Similarly, publications on adult sea turtles are dominated by research on females that come ashore to nest and can be readily studied (e.g., through the collection of biological samples and the application of satellite-telemetry devices), whereas information on adult male sea turtles is scarce. The goal of this paper is to begin filling these knowledge gaps by synthesizing available data on adult male sea turtles in the southern Gulf of Mexico. We used satellite-telemetry, boat- and drone-based surveys, and stranding records combined with ocean circulation modeling to better understand the spatial distribution of male loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), and Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles in the southern Gulf of Mexico. These spatially explicit analyses will provide context for opportunistically collected data on male sea turtles and better contribute to the management and restoration of sea turtle populations that use the Gulf of Mexico. Moreover, this synthesis can serve as a launching point for directed studies on male sea turtles in this region.

Long-distance migrations by the hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, from north-eastern Australia

1998 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey D. Miller ◽  
Kirstin A. Dobbs ◽  
Colin J. Limpus ◽  
Neil Mattocks ◽  
André M. Landry Jr
Keyword(s):  
Adult Female ◽  
Solomon Islands ◽  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
Marine Turtle ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Eretmochelys Imbricata ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Nesting Beaches ◽  
Hawksbill Turtles

Tag recoveries from four adult female hawksbill turtles, Eretmochelys imbricata, tagged on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, are reported. Hawksbill turtles on breeding migrations move between Australia and neighbouring countries including Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Migratory distances between foraging areas and nesting beaches ranged from 368 to 2425 km. A review of data from tag recoveries, genetic analysis and satellite telemetry indicates that adult female hawksbill turtles often exhibit migratory behaviour parallelling that of other marine turtle species. This study refutes the myth that hawksbill turtles remain resident at reefs associated with their nesting beaches.

scholarly journals Assessment of Megadenus holothuricola Rosén, 1910 (Eulimidae), an endoparasite of Holothuria mexicana Ludwig, 1875 (Holothuriidae) in the southern Gulf of Mexico and the description a new species

ZooKeys ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1016 ◽  
pp. 49-61
Author(s):  
Norma Emilia González-Vallejo ◽  
Stephanie Amador-Carrillo
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Original Description ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
The Bahamas ◽  
Thick Disc ◽  
Gut Analysis ◽  
Respiratory Tree ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Over Exploitation ◽  
A New Species

As part of a study on holothurians from the southern Gulf of Mexico, some Holothuria mexicana Ludwig, 1875 were obtained for gut analysis. In two of them, a couple of eulimids were located inside the main tube of the respiratory tree. They were identified as Megadenus holothuricola Rosén, 1910, described from the Bahamas Islands, based on five specimens attached to the respiratory tree of H. mexicana. The original description was brief with few details, the type material is lost, and the species has not been found again. In this contribution, this species is confirmed for Campeche Bay, Mexico. The adult shell is globular to conical, transparent, thin, and fragile. Megadenus smithisp. nov. from Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific is described based on adult specimens. It differs from its congeneric species in its more robust shell, the pseudopallium does not cover the shell, and its short and contracted proboscis forms a thick disc. Further research on these eulimid parasites is now complicated in the southern Gulf of Mexico because of the holothurian population collapse due to over-exploitation of the fishery.

scholarly journals Coral Reefs in the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem: Conservation Status, Challenges, and Opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego L. Gil-Agudelo ◽  
Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro ◽  
Jorge Brenner ◽  
Patricia González-Díaz ◽  
William Kiene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Ecosystem Conservation ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Large Marine Ecosystem

Harmful algal blooms and eutrophication along the mexican coast of the Gulf of Mexico large marine ecosystem

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 120-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco J. Ulloa ◽  
Porfirio Álvarez-Torres ◽  
Karla P. Horak-Romo ◽  
Rogelio Ortega-Izaguirre
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Large Marine Ecosystem

scholarly journals New Insights Into the Seasonal Movement Patterns of Shortfin Mako Sharks in the Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kesley J. Gibson ◽  
Matthew K. Streich ◽  
Tara S. Topping ◽  
Gregory W. Stunz
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
Movement Ecology ◽  
Size Segregation ◽  
Apex Predators ◽  
Mako Shark ◽  
Shortfin Mako

Highly mobile apex predators such as the shortfin mako shark (mako shark; Isurus oxyrinchus) serve an important role in the marine ecosystem, and despite their declining populations and vulnerability to overexploitation, this species is frequently harvested in high abundance in both commercial and recreational fisheries. In 2017, the North Atlantic stock was deemed overfished and to be undergoing overfishing and was recently listed in CITES Appendix II. Effective management of this species can benefit from detailed information on their movements and habitat use, which is lacking, especially in the Gulf of Mexico, a potential mating and parturition ground. In this study, we used satellite telemetry to track the movements of mako sharks in the western Gulf of Mexico between 2016 and 2020. In contrast to previous studies that have primarily tagged juvenile mako sharks (>80% juveniles), ∼80% of sharks tagged in this study (7 of 9) were presumed to be mature based on published size-at-maturity data. Sharks were tracked for durations ranging from 10 to 887 days (mean = 359 days; median = 239 days) with three mature individuals tracked for >2 years. Mako sharks tagged in this study used more of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico than reported in previous movement studies on juveniles, suggesting potential evidence of size segregation. While one mature female remained in the Gulf of Mexico over a >2-year period, predominantly on the continental shelf, two mature males demonstrated seasonal migrations ∼2,500 km from the tagging location off the Texas coast to the Caribbean Sea and northeastern United States Atlantic coast, respectively. During these migrations, mako sharks traversed at least 12 jurisdictional boundaries, which also exposed individuals to varying levels of fishing pressure and harvest regulations. Movement ecology of this species, especially for mature individuals in the western North Atlantic, has been largely unknown until recently. These data included here supplement existing information on mako shark movement ecology and potential stock structure that could help improve management of the species.

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