Grant: 26-047R
Project Title: Informing Long-Term Monitoring and Conservation of Juvenile Sea Turtles: Quantitative Assessment of Movement Ecology, Survival, and Site Fidelity in St. Joseph Bay
Project Manager: Lucas Griffin
Organization: University of South Florida - Department of Integrative Biology (Research and Educational Institute)
Grant Amount: $27,720.00
Completion Date:
Summary: As sea turtles are long-lived organisms with complicated life histories that include long migrations and habitat shifts across life stages, it is critical to understand the dynamics of each life stage to better inform long-term conservation efforts. Assessing the coastal juvenile life stage of sea turtles has traditionally been challenging, as they never leave the water, and tracking small in-water turtles is logistically difficult. However, recent advances in acoustic telemetry technology now allow for high-resolution monitoring of in-water turtle movements at feasible costs. In this study, we will leverage a dense acoustic array of 74 receivers deployed in and around St. Joseph Bay in northwest Florida to examine the movement ecology of juvenile sea turtles at scales not previously achieved, both in sample size and in spatial resolution. Three sea turtle species are regular residents in St. Joseph Bay during the juvenile life-stage : loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), and Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii). Our target sample size is 120 tags (60 from partner funding and 60 from Sea Turtle Grants Program funding) across all three species, substantially increasing statistical power for population-level inference and management applications. The proposed juvenile sea turtle study objectives are to 1) evaluate space-use and temporary or permanent emigration based on age/size, species, habitat features, and time-varying environmental conditions, 2) integrate information from acoustic telemetry data and traditional capture-recapture data to inform monitoring in northwest Florida, and 3) assess broader site fidelity and transition behavior. The study's results will directly inform long-term sea turtle monitoring in St. Joseph Bay and northwest Florida while providing broader insights and analytical techniques applicable to conservation efforts statewide.
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