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Seasonal distribution patterns of juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) following capture from a shipping channel in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean

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Abstract

Thirty-four juvenile loggerhead sea turtles captured by trawling from the Charleston, South Carolina (USA), shipping channel (32°42′N; −79°47′W) between May 2004 and August 2007 were tagged with satellite transmitters to assess the extent to which they remained near the capture location given their collection along a seasonal migratory corridor. Seventy-five percent of juveniles were classified as seasonal residents. Migrants predominantly swam north in the spring and nomads wandered south in the summer, but predictive indicators for non-resident status were not identified. All but one juvenile generally remained south of 34°N, within 40 km of shore, and in waters <30 m deep throughout the year. Nine of 14 loggerhead sea turtles monitored during the winter remained exclusively over the continental shelf, three briefly occurred in oceanic habitats, and two foraged extensively in oceanic habitats. Residents distributed >15 km from shore between spring and autumn were three times as likely to occur in oceanic habitats in winter. Modest seasonal movements contrasted with adults tagged at similar latitudes and with juveniles tagged further north and suggest distinct foraging groups within a regional foraging ground.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the captains and crew of the RVs Georgia Bulldog and Lady Lisa and numerous volunteers who assisted with satellite transmitter attachment and routine sea turtle data collection. S. Hopkins-Murphy, T. Murphy, D. Griffin and J. Coker (SCDNR); K. Mansfield (NMFS), T. Tucker (Mote Marine); D. Shaw, J. Sparks and W. Harrison (CLS America); B. Burger and S. Tomkiewicz (Telonics); and M. Coyne and B. Godley (STAT) charted a smooth course into the world of satellite telemetry. We thank W. Stringfield and J. Shelton (USGS) for provision of hydrographic data for station 02172100. Funding was provided by NOAA Fisheries grant NA03NMF4720281, and we thank J. Brown (NMFS) and E. Heyward for grants management assistance. This research was conducted under Section 10(a)(1)(A) sea turtle permit #1540, and we thank P. Opay and K. Swails (NMFS) for support and assistance. We thank J. Schwenter (SCDNR) and anonymous journal reviewers for editorial contributions. This is contribution #687 of the Marine Resources Division of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and contribution #378 of the Grice Marine Biology Laboratory of the College of Charleston.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division, 217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA

    Michael D. Arendt, Albert L. Segars, Julia I. Byrd, Jessica Boynton & J. David Whitaker

  2. Marine Extension Service, University of Georgia, 715 Bay Street, Brunswick, GA, 31520, USA

    Lindsey Parker

  3. Grice Marine Laboratory, College of Charleston, 205 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA

    David W. Owens & Gaëlle Blanvillain

  4. Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, 715 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Joseph M. Quattro & Mark A. Roberts

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  1. Michael D. Arendt
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  2. Albert L. Segars
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Correspondence to Michael D. Arendt.

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Communicated by J. D. R. Houghton.

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Arendt, M.D., Segars, A.L., Byrd, J.I. et al. Seasonal distribution patterns of juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) following capture from a shipping channel in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Mar Biol 159, 127–139 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1829-x

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