Buck Island Turtles (aggregated per 1-degree cell)

Kristen Hart

doi:10.15468/78dme3

Buck Island Turtles (aggregated per 1-degree cell)

Citation

Hart K. 2021. Buck Island Turtles. Data downloaded from OBIS-SEAMAP (http://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/782) on yyyy-mm-dd originated from Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT; http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?project_id=663). https://doi.org/10.15468/78dme3 accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-10.

Description

Original provider: USGS Dataset credits: Data provider USGS Greater Everglades Sea Turtles Originating data center Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT) Abstract: Buck Island Reef National Monument (BIRNM), a marine protected area located in the US Virgin Islands, is a crucial nesting area for endangered hawksbills, green turtles, leatherback turtles, and loggerheads. Since the recent expansion of the USVI marine protected area at BIRNM, newly included areas have not yet been investigated for sea turtle habitat use. Thus, we are conducting a sea turtle tagging and tracking project to quantify real-time habitat-use of sea turtles within and around BIRNM.

We capture reproductive females on nesting beaches and perform a standard workup procedure on each one, including marking each turtle with internal PIT tags and taking standard measurements, blood samples, photographs, and a biopsy punch for isotope (diet) analysis. We are using these data sets to determine whether current BIRNM boundaries encompass habitats most preferred by sea turtles, determine connections between turtles at BIRNM and other protected areas, identify core areas of turtle use, and quantify time spent in and around BIRNM. Our research addresses specific Recovery Objectives outlined in the Federal Recovery Plans for multiple protected species. Our data can be used as the basis for future adaptive management of BIRNM boundaries and also assist in nesting beach surveys conducted by National Park Service (NPS). We received financial support from NPS and USGS, and substantial in-kind support from NPS, without which this project would not have been possible.

In a concurrent study, we deployed an array of 19 acoustic receivers within BIRNM to identify patterns of habitat use for nesting females and turtles captured in the water; an overarching goal of that project is to determine which areas of BIRNM turtles use most often. The NPS and other university colleagues (UMass, UVI) have initiated additional BIRNM acoustic tracking projects, which have substantially augmented and expanded our existing array of receivers to extend past BIRNM borders. We have been maintaining our receivers while collaborating with NPS and other colleagues to get the most out of the expanding array of receivers in the region. By doing so, we can identify core areas of use by all turtles (by species and life stage) and determine the amount of time spent within and outside of the BIRNM.
Supplemental information: Visit STAT's project page for additional information. This dataset is a summarized representation of the telemetry locations aggregated per species per 1-degree cell.

Purpose

Not available

Sampling Description

Study Extent

NA

Sampling

NA

Method steps

NA

Additional info

marine, harvested by iOBIS

Taxonomic Coverages

Scientific names are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Chelonia mydas
common name: Green Sea Turtle rank: species
Eretmochelys imbricata
common name: Hawksbill Sea Turtle rank: species
Caretta caretta
common name: Loggerhead Sea Turtle rank: species

Geographic Coverages

Oceans

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

Kristen Hart
originator
position: Primary contact
USGS Greater Everglades Sea Turtles
email: kristen_hart@usgs.gov

OBIS-SEAMAP
metadata author
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: http://seamap.env.duke.edu

OBIS-SEAMAP
distributor
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: http://seamap.env.duke.edu

Kristen Hart
owner
position: Primary contact
USGS Greater Everglades Sea Turtles
email: kristen_hart@usgs.gov

Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool
originator
seaturtle.org
email: mcoyne@seaturtle.org
homepage: http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/

Kristen Hart
administrative point of contact
position: Primary contact
USGS Greater Everglades Sea Turtles
email: kristen_hart@usgs.gov