Grant: 03-R02R
Project Title: Characterizing the population structure and foraging ecology of marine turtles utilizing nearshore reefs in central Brevard County
Project Manager: Karen Holloway-Atkins
Organization: East Coast Biologists (Non-Profit Organization)
Grant Amount: $19,808.51
Completion Date: 2006-06-30
Summary: This project will study the marine turtles utilizing the nearshore reefs in central Brevard County as developmental habitat. It will characterize the aggregation of turtles, their size class and foraging habits, as well as potentially gather information about their movements among similar study areas that exist on the east coast of Florida already. 
Results: Marine turtles were captured with tangle and dip nets set east of the Brevard County reef formations. Captured turtles were measured, weighed, tagged and photographed and recorded its overall condition (pictured at right). A total of 21 juvenile green turtles, with an average carapace length of 37.0 cm, were captured during the study. Samples of each turtle's diet were also collected. Preliminary examination indicates green turtles in the study area are eating marine algae and invertebrates. (Author: K. Halloway-Adkins)
