An Interview-Based Approach to Assess Angler Practices and Sea Turtle Captures on Mississippi Fishing Piers

Cook, Matthew A.; Dunch, Victoria S.; Coleman, Andrew T.

doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00655

Cited by 9 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The proximity of SRI to fishing piers may contribute to differential habitat use by species between the two sites, particularly for Kemp's ridleys and green turtles. Both of those species are captured frequently in recreational fishing activities from piers (Coleman et al, 2016;Cook et al, 2020) even though the prey available at fishing piers (i.e. bait) are not typical foraging items for these species (Williams et al, 2013;Ramirez et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in Species Composition, Size and Fitness of Two Multi-Species Sea Turtle Assemblages Using Different Neritic Habitats

Lamont

Johnson

2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The neritic environment is rich in resources and as such plays a crucial role as foraging habitat for multi-species marine assemblages, including sea turtles. However, this habitat also experiences a wide array of anthropogenic threats. To prioritize conservation funds, targeting areas that support multi-species assemblages is ideal. This is particularly important in the Gulf of Mexico where restoration actions are currently ongoing following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. To better understand these areas in the Gulf of Mexico, we characterized two multi-species aggregations of sea turtles captured in different neritic habitats. We described species composition and size classes of turtles, and calculated body condition index for 642 individuals of three species captured from 2011 to 2019: 13.6% loggerheads (Caretta caretta), 44.9% Kemp’s ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii) and 41.4% green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Species composition differed between the two sites with more loggerheads captured in seagrass and a greater proportion of green turtles captured in sand bottom. Turtles in sand bottom were smaller and weighed less than those captured in seagrass. Although small and large turtles were captured at both sites, the proportions differed between sites. Body condition index of green turtles was lower in sand habitat than seagrass habitat; there was no difference for Kemp’s ridleys or loggerheads. In general, smaller green turtles had a higher body condition index than larger green turtles. We have identified another habitat type used by juvenile sea turtle species in the northern Gulf of Mexico. In addition, we highlight the importance of habitat selection by immature turtles recruiting from the oceanic to the neritic environment, particularly for green turtles.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in Species Composition, Size and Fitness of Two Multi-Species Sea Turtle Assemblages Using Different Neritic Habitats

Lamont

Johnson

2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Additionally, sublethal injuries and stress from capture and handling may have population‐level impacts. In a 6‐year period (2010–2015), more than 1000 sea turtles were captured by recreational anglers in Mississippi alone (Cook et al, 2020). Capture in recreational fishing activities may result in selection against bolder turtles and that personality trait could impact the overall population, not just pier‐captured turtles, by increasing exposure to threats such as predators (Griffin et al, 2017) or altering a turtle’s ability to adjust to changing temperatures (Clark et al, 2017; Pich et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although increased capture vulnerability has been documented for many commercially and recreationally valuable fish species, many non‐target animals, including imperiled species such as sea turtles, are also often incidentally captured in fishing gear (Cook et al, 2020; Pate & Marshall, 2020). It would be expected that a suite of traits similar to those documented in fishes would increase sea turtle capture vulnerability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Capture vulnerability of sea turtles on recreational fishing piers

Lamont

Mollenhauer

Foley

2021

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Capture vulnerability of commercial and recreational fishes has been associated with behavioral, morphological, and life‐history traits; however, relationships with non‐target species, such as sea turtles, have not been adequately studied. We examined species composition, timing of captures, morphological variables including body size and head width, and body condition of sea turtles captured from a recreational fishing pier in the northern Gulf of Mexico and of sea turtles captured in the waters adjacent to the pier. From 2014 to 2019, 148 net captures and 112 pier captures of three sea turtle species were documented. Green turtles were captured most frequently in the net and on the pier. Turtles captured from the pier were larger than those captured in the net. There was no difference in head width between net‐caught and pier‐caught turtles; however, small sample sizes limited those comparisons. The body condition index was lower for pier‐caught than net‐caught Kemp’;s ridleys but did not differ with green turtles or loggerheads. Differences were also observed in the timing of capture on the pier as compared to in the net. Finally, the relationship between size, body condition, and pier‐capture vulnerability suggests these are complex interactions. Mortality of sea turtles captured from fishing piers could be selecting against bolder individuals, which may result in changes in sea turtle population demographics over a long time period.

show abstract

“…More than 18% of participants captured at least one sea turtle in the last year and said that almost half of them were taken to rehabilitation, 41% were released by the angler and 10% broke the line and swam out. Most of the anglers (60%) reported the capture but many were unaware they should do it [29].…”

Section: Threats To Sea Turtles In Coastal and Marine Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rehabilitation of Marine Turtles and Welfare Improvement by Application of Environmental Enrichment Strategies

Escobedo-Bonilla

Quiros-Rojas

Rudín-Salazar³

2022

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sea turtles perform various ecological services in several marine environments and are considered architects of the marine landscape. At present, they are endangered species due to anthropogenic threats, pollution and degradation of marine habitats. These impacts make it urgent to increase protection and conservation efforts. Protective actions include the rescue and rehabilitation of injured individuals as a result of their interactions with humans and other threats. Environmental enrichment (EE) is a series of techniques and methods aimed to improve the welfare of animals in captivity and/or under rehabilitation. It uses external stimuli to enhance their psychological and physiological wellbeing to promote natural abilities and behaviors. These may increase the survival chances of rehabilitated animals upon release in the wild. This review presents data of studies where EE has been applied during the rehabilitation processes of different species of sea turtles, and its effect on welfare improvement during captivity/rehabilitation and on survival after release into nature. Technologies such as satellite tags are an important means to determine rehabilitation success and survival of injured individuals from endangered species after release into the wild, as they allow tracking and monitoring of such individuals, and determine their location in areas used by their natural populations for feeding or breeding.

show abstract

An Interview-Based Approach to Assess Angler Practices and Sea Turtle Captures on Mississippi Fishing Piers

Cited by 9 publications

References 15 publications

Variation in Species Composition, Size and Fitness of Two Multi-Species Sea Turtle Assemblages Using Different Neritic Habitats

Variation in Species Composition, Size and Fitness of Two Multi-Species Sea Turtle Assemblages Using Different Neritic Habitats

Capture vulnerability of sea turtles on recreational fishing piers

Rehabilitation of Marine Turtles and Welfare Improvement by Application of Environmental Enrichment Strategies

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About