Kayla Sargent
Get Face-to-Face with California's Official ...

Even though the leatherback sea turtle is California’s official state marine reptile, many people are unaware that they frequent the US West Coast to forage on abundant jellyfish. To bridge this gap in public awareness, Upwell and partners unveiled a life-sized bronze sculpture at the Avila Beach waterfront, offering visitors a unique opportunity to come face-to-face with these magnificent reptiles. How was this 8-foot sculpture get brought to life, you ask?

Get Face-to-Face with California's Official State Marine Reptile
Sea Turtle Monitoring, Leatherbacks
Kayla Sargent
First Leatherback Tagged in the California ...

In September 2025, the collaborative Upwell and NOAA leatherback monitoring team tagged our first leatherback in the California Current since 2022! The adult male leatherback weighing 438 kg (almost 1,000 pounds) was fitted with satellite and acoustic tags to collect critical data on movements and habitat use. Read more about what Ricky has been up to since he was tagged in September.

First Leatherback Tagged in the California Current Since 2022
Kayla Sargent
Where do you spend your lost years, little ...

In late October, a collaborative team of researchers from Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation and Upwell took a boat into the swift Agulhas Current, the southwest boundary current of the Indian Ocean that runs down the east coast of South Africa. There, they released 12 tiny loggerhead turtles with satellite tags attached to their carapace (top shells) in an effort to understand how these turtles are using this oceanic highway. See where these turtles have traveled over their first weeks in the ocean!

Where do you spend your lost years, little turtle?
Kayla Sargent
Diving Into Underwater Photography with Nuno ...

Nuno Vasco Rodrigues is a Marine Biologist and researcher at MARE IPLeiria. He was named “Conservation Photographer of the Year” by Ocean Geographic Society in 2021. For the past three years, Nuno has photographed Upwell’s work tagging juvenile loggerhead turtles in the Azores Archipelago in partnership with the COSTA Project and the University of the Azores, which is part of Upwell’s Lost Years Initiative. Nuno took some time to chat with us about the highlights and challenges of documenting sea turtle releases underwater. 

Diving Into Underwater Photography with Nuno Vasco Rodrigues
Kayla Sargent
Researcher Interview: Analyzing Data from ...

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.

Researcher Interview: Analyzing Data from Microsatellite Tags on Juvenile Sea Turtles

Leatherback hatchlings in a changing world

Leatherback hatchlings in a changing world

Upwell’s Laboratory Veterinarian Dr. Sam Kuschke is investigating the bacteria that lives on the skin of leatherback sea turtle hatchlings, blood values in leatherback sea turtle hatchlings, and the effect that climate change has on both.

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Update from the field: The little turtle that could

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Update from the field: The little turtle that could

In late November, 2021 Upwell deployed six prototype micro-satellite tags on juvenile loggerheads in the Azores. Despite the estimated 80 day tag lifespan, one of the solar powered tags continues to transmit over 150 days later! The tag is carried by the smallest of the group of loggerheads who was named Peniche.

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Meeting your Heroes in a Virtual World

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Meeting your Heroes in a Virtual World

Princeton student Max Gotts recently attended the virtual 40th Annual International Sea Turtle Symposium (ISTS) for the first time to present his research on nearshore mortality’s role in leatherback hatchling evolution. In 2018, Max worked with Upwell Researcher Nicki Barbour in Costa Rica tracking leatherback hatchlings. Find out more about his research and experience at ISTS.

Collaborative research helps save cold-stunned sea turtles on the Pacific Coast

Collaborative research helps save cold-stunned sea turtles on the Pacific Coast

With partner organizations, Upwell’s Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Heather Harris recently led a necropsy session at the Marine Mammal Center to learn more about the underlying health issue of cold stunned sea turtles stranded on the Pacific Coast.

Update from the field: Juvenile green sea turtle tagging in the Cayman Islands

Update from the field: Juvenile green sea turtle tagging in the Cayman Islands

Upwell recently partnered with the Cayman Turtle Centre on Grand Cayman Island to deploy microsatellite tags on 30 captive-reared green sea turtles of different age classes. By releasing sea turtles of different age classes from the same location at the same time, we are examining how variables such as age and size may influence the likelihood of encountering optimal foraging habitats and decreasing the risk of early mortality.

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Unraveling the Mystery of the “Lost Years” in the Azores

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Unraveling the Mystery of the “Lost Years” in the Azores

Upwell’s Executive Director, Dr. George Shillinger, and Upwell Researcher Dr. Sean Williamson recently traveled to the Azores for the unique opportunity to satellite-tag juvenile loggerheads being rehabilitated at the Aquário Porto Pim before their release into the North Atlantic.

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Bon Voyage, Bumpy!

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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.

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PRESS RELEASE - Massive leatherback sea turtle satellite tagged in California waters

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PRESS RELEASE - Massive leatherback sea turtle satellite tagged in California waters

Upwell and NOAA Fisheries are monitoring and protecting California’s leatherbacks with satellite technology. Researchers in October captured a massive Pacific leatherback turtle off California that they had caught and released once before in 2016.

Local Gifts Can Help Turtles This Holiday Season

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.