MAPPING THE DISTRIBUTION OF PROTECTED AND VALUABLE, OIL-SENSITIVE COASTAL FISH AND WILDLIFE

1981 ◽  
Vol 1981 (1) ◽  
pp. 325-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles D. Getter ◽  
Charles D. Getter ◽  
Larry C. Thebeau ◽  
Thomas Ballou ◽  
David J. Maiero
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Puget Sound ◽  
Marine Turtle ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Coastal Fish ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Map Series ◽  
Nesting Beaches ◽  
Ecological Type ◽  
Spawning Sites

ABSTRACT An approach has been developed to produce a map series that displays known, pertinent information concerning the distribution, seasonality, and habits of protected and valuable coastal fish and wildlife that are sensitive to oil spill impacts. This involves a compilation of all literature on the protected and oil-sensitive fish and wildlife for a region. Distribution and abundance data are then evaluated for each species, and all point localities, aggregations, and home ranges are shown on maps. These data include marine mammal haul-out and pupping areas, terrestrial mammal feeding areas, marine bird rookeries, salmon and herring streams and intertidal spawning sites, marine turtle nesting beaches, and intertidal shellfish beds. Aerial surveys are then made of the sites located during the literature search to verify the mapped literature data, as well as to add new wildlife localities. Information on the species, their distribution and ecological type, their habits, and seasonality is color coded on the maps. This approach has been applied to coastal areas in Shelikof Strait (Alaska), Puget Sound (Washington), southeastern Florida, and Massachusetts, and is underway for South Carolina and Norton Sound (Alaska).

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 Does behaviour affect the dispersal of flatback post-hatchlings in the Great Barrier Reef?

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 170164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Wildermann ◽  
Kay Critchell ◽  
Mariana M. P. B. Fuentes ◽  
Colin J. Limpus ◽  
Eric Wolanski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Marine Turtle ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Early Life Stages ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Local Water ◽  
Natator Depressus ◽  
Nesting Beaches

The ability of individuals to actively control their movements, especially during the early life stages, can significantly influence the distribution of their population. Most marine turtle species develop oceanic foraging habitats during different life stages. However, flatback turtles ( Natator depressus ) are endemic to Australia and are the only marine turtle species with an exclusive neritic development. To explain the lack of oceanic dispersal of this species, we predicted the dispersal of post-hatchlings in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia, using oceanographic advection-dispersal models. We included directional swimming in our models and calibrated them against the observed distribution of post-hatchling and adult turtles. We simulated the dispersal of green and loggerhead turtles since they also breed in the same region. Our study suggests that the neritic distribution of flatback post-hatchlings is favoured by the inshore distribution of nesting beaches, the local water circulation and directional swimming during their early dispersal. This combination of factors is important because, under the conditions tested, if flatback post-hatchlings were entirely passively transported, they would be advected into oceanic habitats after 40 days. Our results reinforce the importance of oceanography and directional swimming in the early life stages and their influence on the distribution of a marine turtle species.

scholarly journals A Global Analysis of Anthropogenic Development of Marine Turtle Nesting Beaches

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1492
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Biddiscombe ◽  
Elliott A. Smith ◽  
Lucy A. Hawkes
Keyword(s):  
Global Analysis ◽  
Earth Satellite ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Coastal Development ◽  
Marine Turtle ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Marine Turtles ◽  
Coastal Squeeze ◽  
Nesting Beaches

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that sea levels will rise by up to 0.82 m in the next 100 years. In natural systems, coastlines would migrate landwards, but because most of the world’s human population occupies the coast, anthropogenic structures (such as sea walls or buildings) have been constructed to defend the shore and prevent loss of property. This can result in a net reduction in beach area, a phenomenon known as “coastal squeeze”, which will reduce beach availability for species such as marine turtles. As of yet, no global assessment of potential future coastal squeeze risk at marine turtle nesting beaches has been conducted. We used Google Earth satellite imagery to enumerate the proportion of beaches over the global nesting range of marine turtles that are backed by hard anthropogenic coastal development (HACD). Mediterranean and North American nesting beaches had the most HACD, while the Australian and African beaches had the least. Loggerhead and Kemp’s ridley turtle nesting beaches had the most HACD, and flatback and green turtles the least. Future management approaches should prioritise the conservation of beaches with low HACD to mitigate future coastal squeeze.

Terrestrial activity and summer home range of the mole salamander (Ambystoma talpoideum)

1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond D. Semlitsch
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Carolina Bays ◽  
Mole Salamander ◽  
Ambystoma Talpoideum ◽  
Terrestrial Habitats ◽  
Activity Center ◽  
Two Populations

The terrestrial activity and summer home range of Ambystoma talpoideum is described in two populations in South Carolina. Emigration of adults from breeding sites occurred from March through May during 1979 and 1980. Adults spent 237–354 days in terrestrial habitats before returning to breeding sites during autumn and early winter. Females spent significantly more time in terrestrial habitats than males. Movement of A. talpoideum into and out of the breeding sites around the perimeter of the Carolina bays was nonrandom. Salamanders used corridors of dense vegetation more frequently than open, grassy shoreline areas. Emigration of individual adults to summer home ranges occurred within several nights and summer home ranges were established 81–261 m from the edge of the bays. Juveniles emigrated significantly shorter distances (12–67 m) than adults. Summer home ranges comprised several focal points of activity or "activity centers." The area of each activity center was relatively constant among individuals (0.02–0.21 m2) when compared with the area of a "minimum polygon" home range (0.11–23.3 m2). Ambystoma talpoideum inhabited burrow systems within each activity center. Burrows ran parallel to the surface of the forest floor and averaged 1.7 cm in diameter and 4.7 cm below the surface.

scholarly journals The nesting success of green turtles on beaches at Kazanli, Turkey

Oryx ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie J. Coley ◽  
Andrew C. Smart
Keyword(s):  
Nest Site ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Nesting Success ◽  
Beach Erosion ◽  
Marine Turtle ◽  
Chemical Pollution ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Green Turtles ◽  
Nesting Beaches ◽  
Turkish Society

The green turtle Chelonia mydas is one of two marine turtle species to nest in Turkey. Its three main nesting beaches are in eastern Turkey, with possibly the densest congregation of nesting turtles in the Mediterranean being found at Kazanli. However, beach erosion, hatchling predation, agricultural encroachment and chemical pollution mean that the future of the Kazanli nest site is uncertain. The Turkish Society for the Protection of Nature (Dogal Hayati Koruma Dernegi) is making valiant efforts to protect all the turtle nesting beaches in Turkey but lacks detailed information on the numbers of nesting turtles on many beaches. This paper describes a short study of nesting turtles at Kazanli during 1990 and makes recommendations for the conservation of the nesting beach.

HOME RANGES OF SYMPATRIC BLACK AND TURKEY VULTURES IN SOUTH CAROLINA

The Condor ◽  
10.1650/7461 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 106 (3) ◽  
pp. 706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Travis L. DeVault ◽  
Bradley D. Reinhart ◽  
I. Lehr Brisbin ◽  
Olin E. Rhodes
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Turkey Vultures

Reproductive Homing in Muskellunge, Esox masquinongy

1990 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 1803-1812 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. Crossman
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Fish Culture ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Shoreline Development ◽  
Directed Movement ◽  
Spawning Grounds ◽  
Esox Masquinongy ◽  
Discrete Populations ◽  
Spawning Sites

The number and nature of muskellunge moving to and from spawning grounds are extensively documented. Individual spawning muskeliunge in Stony Lake, Ontario are considered to home annually to specific spawning grounds and to specific areas (spawning sites) within spawning grounds. Some individuals were caught in the same location, or a nearby location, in as many as 7 yr. There is some evidence for discrete populations with apparent reproductive isolation and no interchange in summer. Dispersal from spawning grounds to summer home ranges seems to be limited in regard to direction and area of the lake. Recapture of fish on spawning grounds suggests an obligatory return to a limited number of "traditional" spawning grounds and may extend our knowledge of the groups of fishes exhibiting this type of directed movement. The results also have serious implications for muskellunge in regard to management, shoreline development, and genetic contamination by fish culture activities.

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.

Influence of industrial light pollution on the sea-finding behaviour of flatback turtle hatchlings

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth L. Kamrowski ◽  
Col Limpus ◽  
Kellie Pendoley ◽  
Mark Hamann
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Marine Turtle ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Moon Phase ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Combination Of Methods ◽  
Industrial Lighting ◽  
Nesting Beaches

Context Numerous studies show that artificial light disrupts the sea-finding ability of marine turtle hatchlings. Yet very little has been published regarding sea-finding for flatback turtles. Given the current industrialisation of Australia’s coastline, and the large potential for disruption posed by industrial light, this study is a timely investigation into sea-finding behaviour of flatback turtle hatchlings. Aims We investigate sea-finding by flatback turtle hatchlings in relation to ambient light present in areas of planned or ongoing industrial development, and evaluate the fan and arena-based methods that are frequently used for quantifying hatchling dispersion. Methods Using a combination of methods, we assessed the angular range and directional preference of sea-finding hatchlings at two key flatback turtle rookeries, Peak and Curtis Islands, during January–February 2012 and 2013, and at Curtis Island in January 2014. Relative light levels at each site were measured using an Optec SSP-3 stellar photometer, and moon phase, moon stage and cloud cover were also recorded. Key results We found no evidence of impaired hatchling orientation, and observed very low levels of light at Peak Island. However, at Curtis Island, hatchlings displayed reduced sea-finding ability, with light horizons from the direction of nearby industry significantly brighter than from other directions. The sea-finding disruption observed at Curtis Island was less pronounced in the presence of moonlight. Conclusions The reduced sea-finding ability of Curtis Island hatchlings was likely due to both altered light horizons from nearby industry, as well as beach topography. Both methods of assessing hatchling orientation have benefits and limitations. We suggest that fan-based methods, combined with strategically placed arenas, would provide the best data for accurately assessing hatchling sea-finding. Implications Sky glow produced by large-scale industrial development appears detrimental to sea-finding by flatback turtle hatchlings. As development continues around Australia’s coastline, we strongly recommend continued monitoring of lighting impacts at adjacent turtle nesting beaches. We also advise rigorous management of industrial lighting, which considers cumulative light levels in regions of multiple light producers, as well as moon phase, moon-stage, cloud cover and time of hatchling emergence. All these factors affect the likelihood of disrupted hatchling sea-finding behaviour at nesting beaches exposed to artificial light-glow, industrial or otherwise.

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