Migratory patterns in hawksbill turtles described by satellite tracking

Hawkes, Lucy A.; Tòmàs, Jesús; Revuelta, Ohiana; León, Yolanda; Blumenthal, J. M.; Broderick, Annette C.; Fish, Marianne; Raga, Juan Antonio; Witt, Matthew J.; Godley, Brendan J.

doi:10.3354/meps09778

Cited by 42 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Here we analyse tracking data from DR nesting hawksbills (building on findings in Hawkes et al 2012) with respect to (1) behaviour of hawksbill females during the period from the date of attachment at nesting until the final nesting event before departure from the breeding grounds and (2) an assessment of the level of protection afforded to these turtles in their breeding and foraging areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the importance of Marine Protected Areas for the conservation of hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata nesting in the Dominican Republic

Revuelta¹,

Hawkes²,

León³

et al. 2015

Endang. Species. Res.

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Understanding spatial and temporal habitat-use patterns to protect both foraging and breeding grounds of species of concern is crucial for successful conservation. Saona Island in Del Este National Park (DENP), south-eastern Dominican Republic (DR), hosts the only major hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting area in the DR (100 nests yr −1 , SD = 8.4, range = 93−111), with the population having been critically reduced through hunting. We satellite tracked 9 female hawksbill turtles, and present analyses of their core-use areas with respect to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in both their internesting and foraging areas. Kernel utilization distributions indicated that during the internesting period all turtles remained close to their nesting beaches in small home ranges in the territorial waters of the DR, mostly over the continental shelf (< 200 m depth). Common core-use areas were located inside the DENP, and 82.7% of all locations were within the DENP. In foraging areas, only 23% of locations were inside MPAs, either in waters of the DR or in waters of the Bahamas, Nicaragua and Honduras. Our results highlight that the protected areas of the DR are vital for hawksbill conservation, and the enforcement of existing legislation governing protected areas in the country is crucial. The present study also corroborates that the waters off Nicaragua and Honduras are exceptionally important foraging areas for hawksbills in the Caribbean, showing the turtle's vulnerability in these waters.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the importance of Marine Protected Areas for the conservation of hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata nesting in the Dominican Republic

Revuelta¹,

Hawkes²,

León³

et al. 2015

Endang. Species. Res.

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“…Red lines show tracks on departure during the nesting season. Figure (C) shows the migrations of ten satellite tracked adult female hawksbill turtles [102]. White crosses show deployment locations for satellite tracked turtles in Jaragua and Saona Island.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contextualising the Last Survivors: Population Structure of Marine Turtles in the Dominican Republic

et al. 2013

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Nesting by three species of marine turtles persists in the Dominican Republic, despite historic threats and long-term population decline. We conducted a genetic survey of marine turtles in the Dominican Republic in order to link them with other rookeries around the Caribbean. We sequenced a 740bp fragment of the control region of the mitochondrial DNA of 92 samples from three marine turtle species [hawksbill (n = 48), green (n = 2) and leatherback (n = 42)], and incorporated published data from other nesting populations and foraging grounds. The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) in the Dominican Republic appeared to be isolated from Awala-Yalimapo, Cayenne, Trinidad and St. Croix but connected with other Caribbean populations. Two distinct nesting populations of hawksbill turtles (Eremochelys imbricata) were detected in the Dominican Republic and exhibited interesting patterns of connectivity with other nesting sites and juvenile and adult male foraging aggregations. The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) has almost been extirpated from the Dominican Republic and limited inference could be made from our samples. Finally, results were compared with Lagrangian drifting buoys and published Lagrangian virtual particles that travelled through the Dominican Republic and Caribbean waters. Conservation implications of sink-source effects or genetic isolation derived from these complex inter-connections are discussed for each species and population.

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“…Satellite tracking studies of the postnesting migration towards Brazil (Figure 3; [63,64]) indeed revealed signi�cant navigational feats during the oceanic crossing, such as the presence of long straight segments and the ability to orient towards the individually speci�c feeding areas from far away [63], although not always following the most direct path ( Figure 3). Similar goal-oriented postnesting migrations involving oceanic crossings are known in other green turtle populations (e.g., in Galapagos, Hawaii, or Polynesian islands, [102,103,105]), as well as in other species [92,97,[109][110][111]. Juveniles too are able to undertake long-distance oceanic migrations and one of the longest journey tracked in a sea turtle actually belongs to a juvenile loggerhead that crossed the entire Paci�c ocean covering over 11,000 km in about 11 months while moving from California towards its Japanese natal area [88].…”

Section: Seamentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Distance Animal Migrations in the Oceanic Environment: Orientation and Navigation Correlates

Luschi

2013

ISRN Zoology

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A large variety of marine animals migrate in the oceanic environment, sometimes aiming at speci�c targets such as oceanic islands or offshore productive areas. anks to recent technological developments, various techniques are available to track marine migrants, even when they move in remote or inhospitable areas. e paper reviews the main �ndings obtained by tracking marine animals during migratory travels extending over large distances, with a special attention to the orientation and navigation aspects of these phenomena. Long-distance movements have now been recorded in many marine vertebrates, revealing astonishing performances such as individual �delity to speci�c sites and basin-wide movements directed towards these locations. Seabirds cover the longest distances, sometimes undertaking interhemispheric �ights, but transoceanic migrations are also the rule in pelagic �sh, turtles, pinnipeds, and whales. Some features of these journeys call for the involvement of efficient orientation and navigational abilities, but little evidence is available in this respect. Oceanic migrants most likely rely on biological compasses to maintain a direction in the open sea, and displacement experiments have provided evidence for an ability of seabirds and turtles to rely on position-�xing mechanisms, possibly involving magnetic and/or olfactory cues, although simpler navigational systems are not to be excluded.

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Migratory patterns in hawksbill turtles described by satellite tracking

Cited by 42 publications

References 55 publications

Evaluating the importance of Marine Protected Areas for the conservation of hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata nesting in the Dominican Republic

Evaluating the importance of Marine Protected Areas for the conservation of hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata nesting in the Dominican Republic

Contextualising the Last Survivors: Population Structure of Marine Turtles in the Dominican Republic

Long-Distance Animal Migrations in the Oceanic Environment: Orientation and Navigation Correlates

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