Insights Into Sea Turtle Population Composition Obtained With Stereo-Video Cameras in situ Across Nearshore Habitats in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

Population size estimates are key parameters used in assessments to evaluate and determine a species’ conservation status. Typically, sea turtle population estimates are made from nesting beach surveys which capture only hatchling and adult female life stages and can display trends opposite of the full population. As such, in-water studies are critical to improve our understanding of sea turtle population dynamics as they can target a broader range of life stages – though they are more logistically and financially challenging to execute compared to beach-based surveys. Stereo-video camera systems (SVCS) hold promise for improving in-water assessments by removing the need to physically capture individuals and instead extract 3D measurements from video footage, thereby simplifying monitoring logistics and improving safety for the animals and surveyors. To demonstrate this potential, snorkel surveys were conducted at artificial habitats in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico (neGOM) to collect size and photo-identification data on sea turtles in situ using a SVCS. Over 29.86 survey hours, 35 sea turtles were observed across three species (Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas, and Lepidochelys kempii) and all neritic life stages (juvenile, sub-adult, and adult) utilizing different habitats, including artificial reefs, jetties, and fishing piers. Greens straight carapace length ranged from 28.55 to 66.96 cm (n = 23, mean 43.07 cm ± 11.26 cm standard deviation; SD) and loggerheads ranged from 59.71 to 91.77 cm (n = 10, mean 74.50 cm ± 11.35 cm SD), and Kemp’s ridleys ranged from 42.23 cm to 44.98 cm (mean 43.61 cm ± 1.94 cm SD). Using a linear mixed model, we found that species and habitat type were the most important predictors of sea turtle body length distribution. Overall, this case study demonstrates the potential of SVCS surveys to enhance our understanding of the population structure of sea turtle species within the neGOM and elsewhere.

Qualitative analysis of a mathematical model about population of green turtles on the Galapagos island

According to the IUCN, most sea turtles fall into one of the endangered categories. Since, sea turtles, like many other reptiles, present an unusual developmental process, marked by the determination of the sex of the offspring by environmental factors, more specifically by temperature. In the temperature sex determination (TSD) system the temperature of an embryo's environment during incubation period will dictate the embryo's sex development. This developmental process, together with the complex mating and nesting behavior and the vulnerability of sea turtles to threats of a natural or anthropogenic nature, naturally lead to the study of the population dynamics of the species.? For this reason, in this paper, we have developed a continuous model given by a system of three ordinary differential equations to study the dynamics of the green sea turtle population long-term, focusing the mathematical simulations on the data obtained for the nesting species of Galapagos Islands. Through the qualitative analysis of the model, the following is demonstrated: 1) The flow induced by the system is positively invariant on the region of biological interest and 2). The given condition on is necessary and sufficient for the unique nontrivial equilibrium point to be globally asymptotically stable in that region. When implementing the estimated values for our parameters in the numerical simulations, it was observed that indeed the population of Galapagos green sea turtles complies with the condition for which the nontrivial critical point is globally asymptotically stable.

Effectiveness of Sea Turtle Conservation Management at the Turtle Conservation and Education Center of Serangan, Denpasar Bali

Turtles are one of the reptile animals that can migrate long distances along the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia. The purpose of turtle migration is to mate, find spawning locations and to find food. Sea turtles have an important role in maintaining the balance of the marine ecosystem. However, the high utilization of sea turtles by humans causes the turtle population to decline. One of the conservation sites that help the government program is in Serangan, Denpasar Bali, namely the TCEC (Turtle Conservation and Education Center), where there are several types of turtles such as the lekang turtle, hawksbill and green turtle. Data collection techniques in this study used observation methods including beach monitoring, relocation of turtle eggs to semi-natural hatchery hatching, hatchling and turtle nesting as well as measurement of turtle length and width carapase curve (CCL/CCW), sand temperature, nest depth, nest diameter, nest distance and nest calculation of the number of eggs to see the success of hatching. The results are turtle conservation activities, ranging from turtle maintenance, hatching of turtle eggs, relocation of eggs, and maintenance of hatchlings to release turtles. The effectiveness given by TCEC to manage and preserve the existence of sea turtles in Indonesia, especially in the Bali region is to provide awareness to the community by not consuming eggs and turtle meat.

Policy Windows: Sociopreneurship Activity Through Development of Turtle Breeding Ecotourism in Mapak Indah Beach

Indonesia is one of the few countries in the world which becomes a natural habitat for turtles.However, like other countries, the Indonesia’s turtle population are prone to extinction. All species of see turtles in Indonesia’s waters are protected under the Government Regulation Number 7, 1999 concerning preservation of plant and animal species. Despite having the legal status, the turtle preservation is not fully comprehended and even ignored by the number of people. The development of turtle-based ecotourism is an alternative source of income. Mapak Indah Beach is considered to be a representative area for this ecotourism activity. However, finding from tourism and ecological activities shows no satisfactory results in combining the two activities. Sociopreneurship activities in the management of the Mapak Indah Beach turtle breeding ecosystem require an in-depth study to be able to access the policy windows of the Mataram City Government (the public agenda becomes the government's agenda). Strategic policies are: (1) an increase of coordination and roles among stakeholders; 2) a capacity building for management and procurement of sarpras; and (3) an increase of knowledge and skills of the local communities.

Stakeholder perception on the Sea Turtle conservation in the Gili Matra Tourism Area, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara

The conservation of sea turtles in a nature-based tourism area is significant to enhance sustainability of the sea turtle population in the wild. Small islands in Lombok Island chains, the Gili Matra, are one of the significant habitats for turtles, and the island is recognized as one of the islands with fastest tourism growth in Indonesia. The research aims to explore the stakeholders’ perspectives in sea turtle conservation in Gili Matra, Lombok. Focus group discussion was implemented to identify the stakeholder perspective. Literature survey was carried out to generate related data concerning sea turtle population and its habitat quality in Gili Matra. The result of this study indicates that stakeholders can identify three species of sea turtle in Gili Matra waters, namely the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate), and the ridley sea turtle (Lepydochely olivacea). Stakeholders state that between 1990 and 2017, there was reduction in the population size in Gili Matra. Factors related to the decrease of population in Gili Matra include decrease of habitat quality and human activity. Some recommendations were made, including increasing socialization and campaign, providing tools and facility to support conservation action, controlling unsustainable practice of fish collection, strengthening the implementation of regulation, and providing training and technical assistance to the local community and local office.

Structural description of sea turtle fibropapilloma

Fibropapillomatosis is a neoplastic disease that affects sea turtles. It is characterized by multiple papillomas, fibropapillomas and cutaneous and/or visceral fibromas. Although its etiology has not been fully elucidated, it is known that there is a strong involvement of an alpha - herpesvirus, but the influence of other factors such as parasites, genetics, chemical carcinogens, contaminants, immunosuppression and ultraviolet radiation may be important in the disease, being pointed out as one of the main causes of a reduction in the green turtle population. Thus, the objective of this article was to describe the morphology of cutaneous fibropapillomas found in specimens of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), using light and scanning electron microscopy in order to contribute to the mechanism of tumor formation. Microscopically, it presented hyperplastic stromal proliferation and epidermal proliferation with hyperkeratosis. The bulky mass was coated with keratin, with some keratinocyte invaginations, that allowed the keratin to infiltrate from the epidermis into the dermis, forming large keratinized circular spirals. Another fact that we observed was the influence of the inflammation of the tumors caused by ectoparasites.

JUMLAH TEMPAT PENELURAN PENYU HIJAU (Chelonia mydas) BERDASARKAN VEGETASI PANTAI DI TAMAN WISATA ALAM (TWA) TANJUNG BELIMBING KECAMATAN PALOH KABUPATEN SAMBAS

The decline in the population of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) occurs continuously due to the destruction of the nesting beach habitat, therefore efforts are needed to increase the green sea turtle population by rearranging nesting sites. One thing that is considered important from the green sea turtle nesting habitat is the coastal vegetation. This research was conducted in Tanjung Belimbing Nature Tourism Park, Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan Province. This study aims to obtain information on vegetation conditions that are preferred by green sea turtles to lay eggs through the number of nesting sites approach. The method used is a survey method. Data collection was carried out by direct observation in the field. In this study, 12 nesting sites were found spread over four observation sites, with the highest number of nesting site found at observation location 1 as many as 8 nesting sites. At observation location 1, besides cemara laut (Casuarina equisetifolia) and pandan laut (Pandanus tectorius) also found waru (Hibiscus tiliaceus) and api-api (Avicennia sp) as well as shrub plants such as kamboja laut (Scaevola taccada), serunai laut (Melanthera biflora) ) and herbal plants such as tapak kuda (Ipomoea pes-caprae), alaban tanah (Vitex rotundifolia), rumput tembaga (Ischaemum muticum), bayam berduri (Amaranthus sp) and bakung laut (Crynum asiaticum L).Keywords: Nesting Sites, Vegetation, Green sea turtle, Tanjung Belimbing Nature Tourism Park

Managing fisheries in a world with more sea turtles

For decades, fisheries have been managed to limit the accidental capture of vulnerable species and many of these populations are now rebounding. While encouraging from a conservation perspective, as populations of protected species increase so will bycatch, triggering management actions that limit fishing. Here, we show that despite extensive regulations to limit sea turtle bycatch in a coastal gillnet fishery on the eastern United States, the catch per trip of Kemp's ridley has increased by more than 300% and green turtles by more than 650% (2001–2016). These bycatch rates closely track regional indices of turtle abundance, which are a function of increased reproductive output at distant nesting sites and the oceanic dispersal of juveniles to near shore habitats. The regulations imposed to help protect turtles have decreased fishing effort and harvest by more than 50%. Given uncertainty in the population status of sea turtles, however, simply removing protections is unwarranted. Stock-assessment models for sea turtles must be developed to determine what level of mortality can be sustained while balancing continued turtle population growth and fishing opportunity. Implementation of management targets should involve federal and state managers partnering with specific fisheries to develop bycatch reduction plans that are proportional to their impact on turtles.

BIMBINGAN TEKNIK (BIMTEK) BAGI MAHASISWA TENTANG TEKNIK RELOKASI TELUR PENYU DI GAMPONG KEUDE PANGA KECAMATAN PANGA KABUPATEN ACEH JAYA

Sea turtle undertaken a process of egg laying in once that yield almost hundreds eggs. Meanwhile, the eggs can be alive only several eggs. According to IUCN (International Union Conservation of Nature and Natural Reserve) in 1963 stated that such condition that caused a number of population is decreased. The target of community that involved in the technical guidance regarding egg sea turtle relocation namely undergraduate student of fisheries and marine science faculty, University of Teuku Umar. According to survey and interview that coastal community still undertook to hunting sea turtle’s eggs for trading in the traditional market dan restaurants. The priority problem that face in coastal community dinamic especially Panga Pasie area. for instance, eggs hunting that caused economical problem in order to can be survive in life. In other hand, the exploitation action cause reducing sea turtle population drastically in nature. Thus, if nobody care to effort of sea turtle conservation that undertook by stakeholder so, it occured a scarcity of sea turrtle that already enter in redlist IUCN category. It is caused disturbance of environment and marine biodiversity in balance a marine ecology. The technical guidance including survey of nesting site, sosialization of sea turtle properties, focus group discussion (FGD) and tecnique of sea turtle eggs relocation. Overall activity of community serving that undergo on time and get a supporting from udergraduate student.