Ember the juvenile loggerhead sea turtle was released off the coast of Florida with a microsatellite tag on October 28th, 2022. This blog is the second in a series covering Ember’s rescue, recovery, and oceanic journey.
Unraveling the Mystery of the “Lost Years” in the Azores
Bon Voyage, Bumpy!
In October of 2021, Upwell and our partners from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tagged one of the largest leatherbacks ever encountered in the California Current foraging zone weighing in at 1,419 pounds! This massive male leatherback was dubbed “Bumpy” because of the distinctive bumps on the rear of his carapace, which were likely caused by a prior ship strike. Find out more about where Bumpy has traveled.
PRESS RELEASE - Massive leatherback sea turtle satellite tagged in California waters
Local Gifts Can Help Turtles This Holiday Season
We all know buying local reduces carbon emissions and can help combat climate change, but did you know it can also help reduce threats to sea turtles? International shipping often relies on the use of massive cargo ships to transport goods across our oceans. Sea turtle migration paths can intersect with vessel traffic and nearshore shipping lanes can overlap with important foraging habitats.
Striving for Mutual Success with Artisanal Fishers in Sinaloa
La Reforma sits amidst a large lagoon complex lined with mangrove trees, desert islands, and colonies of seabirds. This fishing village is one of the largest in Mexico and fishers are taking a proactive stance in protecting sea turtles from bycatch. The Upwell team recently traveled to La Reforma to meet with several experienced fishers that partner with Grupo Tortuguero, such as Captain Adalberto Garcia. The data being collected here by Adalberto’s crew is instrumental in the future of sea turtle conservation within Northwest Mexico.
The Way I See The World of Turtles
Logan Tuckman is 12 years old and in 6th grade. He lives in San Francisco and he has always loved turtles. He is currently doing an in-depth research project about turtles for school. For the project he needed to conduct an interview with a turtle expert and his teacher led him to Dr. George Shillinger.
Ghosts in the Bay of La Paz
The Bay of La Paz, Mexico is filled with scattered mangrove forests, rocky reefs, and rugged coastlines. Bycatch is a pressing issue in the region. Although regulations exist to limit unselective fishing gear like gillnets, enforcement can be weak. Sea Turtle Spotters help Upwell as citizen scientists, reporting both live and dead sea turtles to Upwell researchers to help us learn more about the threats they face at sea.
Upwell Teams Up with Artisanal Fishers Seeking to Reduce Bycatch
A new generation of artisanal fishers in the El Pardito fishing cooperative of Baja California Sur is working to replenish overfished stocks and reduce sea turtle bycatch. Upwell researcher Stephanie Rousso has seen first-hand the threats posed by artisanal fisheries to sea turtles, mostly by entanglement in gillnets. In collaboration with fishers from the El Pardito cooperative, Stephanie is designing a pilot program to measure and reduce sea turtle bycatch.
Novel tracking technology sheds light on leatherback “lost years”
New technologies are finally shedding light on one of the greatest mysteries in sea turtle biology. Using prototype “micro-satellite” tags specifically designed to fit juvenile leatherback turtles, Upwell and Florida Atlantic University researchers released eighteen captive reared juvenile leatherbacks to track their movements off the coast of Florida and shed light on the “lost years” phase of their lives.