With a team of collaborators, we tested new specially-designed prototypes of Lotek microsatellite tags on 160 juvenile sea turtles of four species in the North Atlantic. The data from these tags was published in a new article, "Novel Microsatellite Tags Hold Promise for Illuminating the Lost Years in Four Sea Turtle Species." We sat down with lead-author Tony Candela to talk about this article, his process as lead-author, and the important implications of these findings for the bio-logging community.
When fishermen and researchers collaborate, they create opportunities to amplify efforts for the research and conservation of sea turtles. This past spring, Upwell participated in these efforts by providing a satellite tag for Liam Neythan, a leatherback sea turtle that was saved in Sinaloa, Mexico. Our collaborators, the fishers Edmundo Rafael Garcías Burgos and Mariano García Olivas, as well as Dr. Alan Zavala Norzagaray and the CIIDIR IPN Unidad Sinaloa are the key collaborators and heroes in this story.
Upwell Research Project Technician Sierra Fullmer shares some of her most exciting sightings while conducting aerial surveys to look for leatherbacks off of the US West Coast.
Most sea turtle species migrate and spend large amounts of their life history in areas of the ocean considered “high seas.” The high seas are the parts of the ocean that are not under the jurisdiction of any nation. In June of 2023, after almost two decades of negotiations, UN Member states adopted the Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty (also known as the High Seas Treaty) to provide a coherent and holistic framework for protecting the high seas. Earlier this month, Upwell Executive Director Dr. George Shillinger attended the High Seas Treaty symposium to learn more about how its implementation may impact sea turtle populations and to seek opportunities to further the protection of turtles at sea.
The new publication "Incorporating multidimensional behavior into a risk management tool for a critically endangered and migratory species," takes a look at how data on leatherback diving behavior can be used to improve the South Pacific TurtleWatch tool aimed at reducing bycatch.
In March of 2024, sea turtle experts from around the world met in Pattaya, Thailand for the annual International Sea Turtle Symposium. This was Anna Ortega’s third time attending as an Upwell researcher, and she wrote this blog to share an inside look at the conference and why it’s such a special event for the sea turtle community.
Traditional conservation models identify geographic locations with important habitat and create management plans restricting human activity to conserve them. These protected areas are often important nesting, breeding, or foraging areas for highly migratory sea turtle species like leatherbacks and loggerheads, but the protections end when the turtles inevitably continue migrating. So, how can we protect sea turtles throughout their ocean habitat?
With a team of collaborators, we tested new specially-designed prototypes of Lotek microsatellite tags on 160 juvenile sea turtles of four species in the North Atlantic. The data from these tags was published in a new article, "Novel Microsatellite Tags Hold Promise for Illuminating the Lost Years in Four Sea Turtle Species." We sat down with lead-author Tony Candela to talk about this article, his process as lead-author, and the important implications of these findings for the bio-logging community.
Upwell’s efforts to learn more about the lives of juvenile loggerheads in the Atlantic expanded from Florida to the Azores, and now, to South Africa. Through a new collaboration with the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, Upwell Executive Director Dr. George Shillinger traveled to Cape Town for the tagging and release of rehabilitated juvenile loggerhead sea turtles. The Two Oceans Aquarium Foundations' Conservation Manager, Talitha Noble, wrote this post to provide some insights on why learning more the movements of young loggerheads at this juncture between two oceans is so important.
When fishermen and researchers collaborate, they create opportunities to amplify efforts for the research and conservation of sea turtles. This past spring, Upwell participated in these efforts by providing a satellite tag for Liam Neythan, a leatherback sea turtle that was saved in Sinaloa, Mexico. Our collaborators, the fishers Edmundo Rafael Garcías Burgos and Mariano García Olivas, as well as Dr. Alan Zavala Norzagaray and the CIIDIR IPN Unidad Sinaloa are the key collaborators and heroes in this story.
Cuando pescadores e investigadores colaboran se crean oportunidades para unir y amplificar esfuerzos orientados a la investigación y conservación de las tortugas marinas. Durante la primavera pasada, Upwell participó en estos esfuerzos proporcionando una etiqueta satelital para Liam Neythan, una tortuga laúd que fue salvada en Sinaloa, México. Nuestros colaboradores, los pescadores Edmundo Rafael Garcías Burgos y Mariano García Olivas, así como el Dr. Alan Zavala Norzagaray y el CIIDIR IPN Unidad Sinaloa fueron los protagonistas de esta historia.
Coastal upwelling ecosystems (like the one on the US West Coast) are some of the most productive ecosystems worldwide. They support many of the world's most important fisheries and attract marine megafauna like leatherbacks from across the ocean. This blog gives a quick overview of how upwelling works and why it brings leatherbacks to our waters.
Nerea Lezama-Ochoa is a marine biologist working as a UCSC project scientist at the NOAA Environmental Science Division in Monterey. Her team is producing daily projections of suitable habitat for 10 highly migratory species (including leatherback sea turtles). Read Nerea’s blog about how these projections are created with accuracy and why they are helpful to conservation efforts.
