Abstract
MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 621:199-208 (2019) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12997 At-sea distribution of juvenile leatherback turtles: new insights from bycatch data in the Atlantic Ocean Milagros Lopez-Mendilaharsu1,*, Gilberto Sales2, Rodrigo Coluchi3, Maria Ângela Marcovaldi1, Bruno Giffoni1 1Fundação Pró-TAMAR, Salvador 41815-135, BA, Brazil 2Centro TAMAR/ICMBio, Itajaí 88301-700, SC, Brazil 3Laureate International Universities, Porto Alegre 90840-440, RS, Brazil *Corresponding author: milagros@tamar.org.br ABSTRACT: Highly mobile marine species can travel long distances, which in some cases extend over entire ocean basins. This is especially true for sea turtles, which have a spatially complex life cycle that for most species comprises initial development in oceanic habitats. Due to the difficulty involved in accessing open ocean waters and the elusive nature of small individuals, very little is known about the distribution of young oceanic-stage sea turtles. This is particularly true for the leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea, as studies on this species’ young life stages are lacking and therefore represent one of the top research priorities for this taxon worldwide. Here, we report new records (n = 28) of juvenile leatherbacks (≤100 cm curved carapace length, CCL) incidentally captured by longline fisheries and provide information about their distribution and possible dispersal patterns. Juvenile leatherbacks were found in tropical and subtropical waters in the Atlantic, while small individuals (<80 cm CCL) were restricted to the equatorial central Atlantic, between latitudes 3.5°N and 3.1°S. The incidental capture of a leatherback of 40 cm CCL indicates that individuals can be exposed to this threat approximately 1 yr after nest emergence. Lagrangian drifter data used to explore the possible role of ocean currents on post-hatchling dispersal from the main leatherback rookeries in the Atlantic suggested that small leatherbacks found in the equatorial central Atlantic may come from West Africa. Given the limited data on oceanic-stage sea turtles, this study provides additional information on where to look for young leatherbacks and possibly focus future field-based research. KEY WORDS: Dermochelys coriacea · Juvenile sea turtles · Bycatch · Longline fishery · Dispersal patterns · Ocean currents · Buoy trajectory data Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Lopez-Mendilaharsu M, Sales G, Coluchi R, Marcovaldi MÂ, Giffoni B (2019) At-sea distribution of juvenile leatherback turtles: new insights from bycatch data in the Atlantic Ocean. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 621:199-208. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12997 Export citation Mail this link - Contents Mailing Lists - RSS Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 621. Online publication date: July 04, 2019 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2019 Inter-Research.
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