An Assessment of Green Turtle (<i>Chelonia mydas</i>) Stocks Along the Texas Coast, with Emphasis on the Lower Laguna Madre

Metz, Tasha L.; Landry, André M.

doi:10.2744/ccb-1046.1

Cited by 16 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The green turtle population in Texas, which was decimated by the late 1800s due to over-harvest and hypothermic stunning (Hildebrand 1983), has been increasing since 2007 (Metz & Landry 2013, just prior to the appearance of FP. FP can cause significant debilitation and even death of individuals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…FP was first confirmed in Texas, USA in 2010 (Tristan et al 2010). Prior to 2010, no green turtles in Texas were documented with tumors or suspect growths consistent with FP, despite thousands of encounters of green turtles by Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) participants and hundreds of encounters by in-water researchers (Manzella et al 1990, Coyne 1994, Renaud et al 1995, Arms 1996, Shaver 2000, Metz & Landry 2013, Shaver et al 2013, confirming that the disease was not missed, but was in fact not present prior to 2010.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Fibropapillomatosis prevalence and distribution in green turtles Chelonia mydas in Texas (USA)

Shaver¹,

Walker²,

Backof³

2019

Dis. Aquat. Org.

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Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a neoplastic disease that can result in debilitating tumors in sea turtles. Initially identified in Florida, USA in 1937, it has since been detected in green turtle Chelonia mydas populations globally. FP was first identified and confirmed in Texas, USA in 2010. No FP tumors were documented in Texas prior to that year, though many green turtles were encountered and examined using standardized procedures since 1980. The present study was undertaken to identify temporal and spatial trends of FP prevalence in Texas since 2010. From 2010 through 2018, 1919 stranded or incidentally captured green turtles were documented with FP in Texas. FP prevalence was significantly correlated with year, hypothermic stunning, geographic region, and turtle size, as determined by logistic regression. FP was documented in < 4.0% of the green turtles examined in Texas from 2010 to 2015, increasing to 21.6% in 2016, 27.3% in 2017, and 35.2% in 2018. More than twice as many hypothermic stunned green sea turtles had FP tumors as compared to those that were not hypothermic stunned. In Texas, FP was most prevalent in south Texas, particularly in the Laguna Madre, and associated channels. FP was more prevalent in turtles with straight carapace lengths 40.0−69.9 cm. The impact of this disease on green turtle population recovery in Texas is not yet apparent.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fibropapillomatosis prevalence and distribution in green turtles Chelonia mydas in Texas (USA)

Shaver¹,

Walker²,

Backof³

2019

Dis. Aquat. Org.

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“…Esophageal lavage demonstrated that turtles captured from the lower Texas coast (LTC) channel passages fed strictly on algae and within the bay systems, seagrasses (Coyne 1994). In-water research (Shaver 2000, Metz & Landry 2013 and behavioral observations (Shaver 1994) confirmed that Texas green turtles migrate between channel environments and seagrass beds. Although turtles have been documented within both environments, research has not focused on the sizebased shifts from the oceanic realm to jetty habitats, with a subsequent inshore transition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Green turtle site fidelity to LTC jetty channels has been well documented (Williams & Manzella 1992, Renaud et al 1994, Shaver 2000, whereas in-water data on the middle Texas coast (MTC) passageways are limited and centered on in situ observations (Metz & Landry 2013). Consequently, data were separated regionally, MTC compared to LTC, to assess potential differences in foraging habits.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogenetic shifts in diet and habitat of juvenile green sea turtles in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Howell¹,

Reich²,

Shaver³

et al. 2016

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Effective management of a rapidly increasing juvenile green sea turtle Chelonia mydas population necessitates an understanding of the foraging grounds utilized throughout ontogeny. We used stomach content (SCA) and stable isotope analyses (SIA) of multiple size classes of green turtles foraging along the middle (MTC) and lower Texas coasts (LTC) in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico to identify ontogenetic shifts in foraging behavior. Spatial differences in diet and habitat residency were examined based on samples gathered from live (n = 55) and deceased turtles (n = 114). Additionally, the isotopic composition of putative forage material within nearshore and inshore habitats was investigated to determine prey contribution to diet. Green turtle recruitment to neritic channel environments in Texas waters at sizes < 25 cm straight carapace length (SCL) was established based on the presence of benthic macroalgae in the diet. Integration of SCA with SIA of carbon and nitrogen in scute material, as well as potential prey, revealed a subsequent inshore shift to seagrass beds before obtaining 35 cm SCL for turtles of the LTC, while turtles from the MTC exhibited considerable variation in size at transition. This study improves our understanding of the feeding ecology of green turtles within critical foraging grounds along the Texas coast. KEY WORDS: Green turtle • Chelonia mydas • Ontogenetic shift • Stomach content analysis • Stable isotope analysis • δ 13 C • δ 15 N • Gulf of Mexico • Texas Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

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“…Endangered Species Act, the aggregation of green turtles inhabiting Texas waters has increased in recent years (Shaver, 2000;Shaver et al, 2013). Green turtle catch per unit effort increased exponentially in the Lower Laguna Madre from 1991-2010 (Metz and Landry, Jr., 2013), suggesting a rapidly growing juvenile green turtle foraging aggregation. Based on documentation of large numbers of individuals stranded and captured during netting studies (Metz and Landry, Jr., 2013;Shaver, 1994Shaver, , 2000Shaver et al, 2013), the Laguna Madre, Mansfield Channel, and Brazos Santiago Pass in south Texas are likely among the most important developmental habitats for green turtles in the western Gulf of Mexico (GoM).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Mexican origins for the Texas green turtle foraging aggregation: A cautionary tale of incomplete baselines and poor marker resolution

Shamblin

Dutton

Shaver

et al. 2017

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

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The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) foraging aggregation along the Texas coast has increased dramatically in recent years, but the source populations for these turtles have not been adequately resolved. Previous mixed stock analysis (MSA) based on 490 base pair (bp) mitochondrial control region haplotypes suggested a large Florida contribution, but widespread sharing of common haplotypes among potential source populations and incomplete source population baseline data precluded precise assessment. To test the hypothesis that Texas turtles may represent proximal western Gulf of Mexico (GoM) nesting populations, we analyzed novel rookery samples from Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, Mexico (RNMX) and conducted oceanic connectivity simulations. The RNMX samples yielded haplotypes CM-A1.1 and CM-A3.1 in frequencies not significantly different from those of the central eastern Florida nesting population. However, mitogenomic sequencing identified a diagnostic mitochondrial SNP (mtSNP) variant that is fixed in RNMX relative to the Florida CM-A1.1 lineage. Pairwise comparisons indicate that the Tamaulipas rookery represents a discrete population relative to those previously described in the northern Greater Caribbean, warranting recognition of a western GoM management unit (MU). Contrary to previous findings, the Florida populations were ruled out as major contributors to the Texas aggregation through screening of the mtSNP. Mixed stock analysis incorporating the mtSNP data suggested a western GoM origin for approximately 70% of the Texas foraging aggregation, with Quintana Roo contributing the majority of the remainder. Backtracking

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An Assessment of Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Stocks Along the Texas Coast, with Emphasis on the Lower Laguna Madre

Cited by 16 publications

References 17 publications

Fibropapillomatosis prevalence and distribution in green turtles Chelonia mydas in Texas (USA)

Fibropapillomatosis prevalence and distribution in green turtles Chelonia mydas in Texas (USA)

Ontogenetic shifts in diet and habitat of juvenile green sea turtles in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Mexican origins for the Texas green turtle foraging aggregation: A cautionary tale of incomplete baselines and poor marker resolution

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