Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GOMMAPPS): Sea Turtle Fieldwork and Data Analysis

The primary method used to document broad-scale distribution and density of marine animal is aerial surveys however these surveys only count individuals that are at the ocean's surface. To account for turtles that are underwater, species-specific dive data are needed. We deployed satellite tags with depth sensors on 48 loggerhead, Kemp's ridley and green turtles in the Gulf of Mexico from 2017 to 2019. Green turtles spent more time in the top two meters of the water column than Kemp's ridleys or loggerheads. Time at surface was greater for all species in summer but did not differ between BOEM's Eastern and Central Planning Areas except for Kemp's ridleys which spent more time at the surface in the Western than Eastern Planning Area. The dive-surface behavior data collected during GOMMAPPS can be applied to improve the accuracy and precision of abundance estimates for sea turtles derived from visual survey data, in particular aerial surveys.

USD: $1,000,000

2017-10-01 → 2024-04-01