Growth rates of wild green turtles, Chelonia mydas, at a temperate foraging habitat in the northern Gulf of Mexico: assessing short‐term effects of cold‐stunning on growth

Abstract

There are multiple factors that may determine individual and population growth rates and understanding the impact of extrinsic factors, such as temperature, is important for successful recovery plan stock assessment and modelling. In January 2001 and January 2003, cold‐stunning events occurred along the northern Gulf of Mexico, in St Joseph Bay, Florida. In this study we examine the short‐term effects of decreased water temperatures and repeated cold‐stunning events on the growth of juvenile green turtles in northwest Florida. There were no significant effects of number of cold‐stunning events on growth, although turtles stunned twice tended to grow slower than non‐stunned turtles. This is the first study to provide information on the growth rates of green turtles in the northern Gulf of Mexico and it is the first examination of the effects of cold‐stunning on growth in any sea turtle population.