Investigating the Distribution of Foraging Habitat for Loggerhead Sea Turtles, Caretta caretta, in the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

A better understanding on the distribution of highly migratory marine megafauna and the potential exposure of their habitats to anthropogenic activities is essential for their effective protection. Here, we deliver a comprehensive view on the distribution of foraging grounds for the representatives of marine megafauna, loggerheads, Caretta caretta, in the Mediterranean Sea, along with an assessment on their exposure to fisheries. Using the available published satellite tracking information on the adult Mediterranean foraging loggerheads, we built a series of distribution models to develop a map of the foraging grounds across the basin. We also assessed the exposure of the delineated foraging grounds to the cumulative risk due to different types of fisheries. Our findings revealed that the foraging grounds of adult loggerheads extended over the 9% of the Mediterranean Sea. We identified well-established areas in the central Mediterranean Sea but also sites, at the western part, for which the current knowledge was restricted. The exposure of the foraging grounds to fisheries differed across the basin, with the Adriatic Sea being under the highest level of risk. The developed approach, combining modeling techniques and risk assessment, allowed to reveal critical sites for loggerheads on which conservation actions should focus.