The Nesting Activity of Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas and Caretta caretta): Results of 2017 Monitoring Study on Kumluca Beach

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the sea turtles (Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas) monitoring results of Kumluca beach in 2017 and to compare these results with those of previous years. In addition, it identified problems faced by loggerhead turtles on Kumluca beach and propose solutions. The study area covers 14 km of Kumluca nesting beach. Field studies were carried out daily between June and September 2017. A total of 1306 tracks for C. caretta was recorded, and 715 of them resulted in the nest on Kumluca beach. However, only a single nest of C. mydas was recorded in the 2017 nesting season. Also, it was found that nesting success is 54.74 and nest density is 51.07 nests/km for C. caretta. The mean distance from the sea of the nests is 21.75±7.71 m (range=6-66 m). The most density occurred between 15 and 30 m from the sea. Mean hatch success for all nests was 65.4% while no hatching activities were observed in 248 (34.6%) nests. A total of 36 C. caretta was tagged. The mean curved carapace length (CCL) and curved carapace width (CCW) were 74.7±3.9 cm (range=64-84) and 67.4±3.5 cm (range=61-77), respectively. The mean head length (HL) and head circumference (HC) were 26.6±2.6 cm (range=20-30) and 49.1±3.8 cm (range=42-61), respectively. Also, a total of 116 nests were lost due to storms and anthropological effects. The problems frequently encountered in the Kumluca spawning area mainly, vehicle use, sand removal, artificial light sources, animal entry and solid wastes on the beach. In addition, solution suggestions for these problems are presented.