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Estimated contribution of Atlantic Coastal loggerhead turtle nesting populations to offshore feeding aggregations

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Abstract

Seasonal feeding grounds for loggerhead sea turtles present relatively unchecked anthropogenic hazards. Commercial fisheries, recreational boating and environmental contamination indirectly threaten subadult feeding areas. The potential effects of these types of threats are difficult to establish without an understanding of the relationship between the feeding areas and individual nesting areas. We perform a mixed stock analysis on seasonal subadult feeding grounds from North Carolina to northern Florida. A total of 216 individuals were captured using either commercial shrimping vessels or vessels with standardized sea turtle trawls. A fragment of the mitochondrial control region was sequenced from each of the individuals and compared with haplotypes at nesting beaches identified previously. Twelve haplotypes were resolved among individuals captured. Mixed stock analysis indicates that the nearby NEFL-NC nesting populations disproportionately contribute to the feeding aggregate and thus perturbations to this feeding ground would weigh most heavily on this nesting area.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Marine Science Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Mark A. Roberts, Christopher J. Anderson & Joseph M. Quattro

  2. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division, Charleston, SC, USA

    Bruce Stender & J. David Whittaker

  3. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Beaufort, SC, USA

    Al Segars

  4. Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, USA

    James M. Grady

Authors
  1. Mark A. Roberts
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  2. Christopher J. Anderson
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  3. Bruce Stender
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  4. Al Segars
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  5. J. David Whittaker
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  6. James M. Grady
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  7. Joseph M. Quattro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joseph M. Quattro.

Additional information

Sequences reported in this manuscript have been deposited in GenBank (accession numbers AY680687–AY680691).

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Roberts, M.A., Anderson, C.J., Stender, B. et al. Estimated contribution of Atlantic Coastal loggerhead turtle nesting populations to offshore feeding aggregations. Conserv Genet 6, 133–139 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-004-7737-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-004-7737-6

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