Adult Sea Turtles Research Articles

Diving into warming oceans: Assessing 3D climatically suitable foraging areas of loggerhead sea turtles under climate change

Climate change impacts on marine species have been mainly studied considering only the sea surface despite the fact that most species depend on habitats at different depths. With sea temperatures warming unevenly across depths, identifying critical marine habitats while considering the three-dimensionality of the seascape is a major conservation challenge. Unfortunately, this research field remains largely unexplored and only few examples permit the identification of vertically coherent areas. Here, we developed a climate niche-based framework to delineate critical areas across different depths and assess their consistency over space and time. We use loggerhead sea turtles as a model species to identify climatic suitable areas for the present and future three-dimensional marine space of the Mediterranean Sea, using temperatures from three bathymetric layers of 5 m, 25 m and bottom neritic waters. We analyzed both juvenile and adult sea turtles, which use different depth-related habitats. Our analysis revealed that the coherence among thermal suitable habitats of different depths varied across the different life stages. Although near-surface habitats of juvenile sea turtles spanned across a vast area of the Mediterranean, their water-column habitats were spatially restricted. Near-surface, deep and water-column habitats of adults shared similar distribution patterns. Under future conditions, all types of three-dimensional habitats seemed to primarily maintain thermal stability, however, even opposite changes were predicted for different depths. Our study provides an advanced spatial mapping of sea turtle habitats, highlighting the significance of the three-dimensional marine space and how the selection and combination of specific bathymetric zones may impact patterns in distribution.

Hitchhiking bryozoans (Gymnolaemata) on sea turtles (Cheloniidae) from southeastern United States to Honduras

To understand the symbiosis between epizoic bryozoans and sea turtles, we examined 52 sea turtles whose range spanned from Georgia, United States to Honduras, from three host species: Caretta caretta (loggerhead), Chelonia mydas (green), and Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill). Of these, 13% were adults and 87% were juveniles. We found 18 bryozoan colonies belonging to seven different gymnolaemate bryozoan species. Five were cheilostomes (Biflustra arborescens, Biflustra cf. conjunctiva, Bugula neritina, Schizoporella errata, and Aetea sp.) and two were ctenostomes (Alcyonidium hauffi and Anguinella palmata). Biflustra cf. conjunctiva and Aetea sp. are reported here for the first time on sea turtles. Biflustra cf. conjunctiva is an invasive species from the South China Sea and reported here for the first time in the southeastern United States. Of the 52 sea turtles examined, 15% were fouled by bryozoans: 88% of the loggerheads, 3% of the greens, and none of the hawksbills. Combining all host species, 86% of adult sea turtles were fouled by bryozoans compared to 4% of juveniles. Fouled hosts were significantly larger than unfouled hosts. We attribute this to the target area hypothesis, as the juvenile sea turtles were significantly smaller targets for bryozoan larval settlement than the adult hosts. The bryozoans were all found on the hosts’ dorsal carapace, and the number of bryozoan colonies increased significantly in a posterior direction across the carapace. Of the 18 bryozoan colonies, 89% were encrusting and 11% were erect, yet flexible. We describe this non-obligate/facultative commensal symbiotic relationship as phoretic (i.e., hitchhiking).

Isotopic niches of juvenile and adult green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in feeding and nesting areas in Brazil, southwestern Atlantic Ocean

Stable isotope analysis is an approach that allows inferring feeding ecology and trophic structure of populations, especially for species that are difficult to observe in natural habitats, such as marine turtles. This study investigated the niche breadth of adult and juvenile green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) through δ15N and δ13C values in carapace scutes. During 2017 and 2018, tissues were collected from juveniles in a feeding area in southeastern Brazil (n = 60) and from adults in a nesting area in northeastern Brazil, at Fernando de Noronha (n = 21). Our results revealed no temporal variations in the isotopic values of adult green turtles and the mean δ15N values are compatible with the isotopic values of primarily herbivorous animals. In southeastern Brazil, the δ13C values and isotopic niche breadth differences observed in juvenile green turtles suggest that variations in habitat (i.e., channel between the municipalities of Ilhabela and São Sebastião - “SSC” and region comprising the other two municipalities of Ubatuba and Caraguatatuba - “CAU”, as defined in this study based on oceanographic current dynamics) can influence their isotopic niche. The isotopic values observed in juvenile green turtles demonstrated a high degree of feeding behavior plasticity and individual variability, which were possibly influenced by the dynamic of oceanographic currents and seasonal nutrient inputs. These findings help to elucidate the feeding behavior of green turtles at different life stages and the potential influence of oceanographic current dynamics in key feeding sites for juvenile green turtles.

The Environment Characteristics Habitat of Sea Tuntong’s (Batagur borneoensis) on Conservation Areas in Aceh Tamiang Regency's Coastal Waters

One of the endemic turtle conservation areas is the sea turtle conservation area on the coast of Aceh Tamiang Regency, Aceh Province (Batagur borneoensis). This animal is categorized as an endangered animals. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) designated sea turtles as Critically Endangered (CE) in 1996. The distribution of sea turtles is limited because the beach type must be suitable for spawning and survival. The goal of this study was to determine the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of sea tuntong (Batagur borneonsis) habitat in a conservation area in Aceh Tamiang Regency. In this study, the descriptive method was used. The data collection process was completed. Data was gathered through direct observation in the field. Purposive sampling was used to identify observation stations. There are three research stations: Pusong Kapal (hatching hatchlings), Ujung Tamiang Beach (habitat for adult sea turtles), and Pusung Cium Beach (habitat for sea turtles) (nesting habitat). The study's findings revealed differences in physical, biological, and chemical characteristics at the three stations. It is possible to conclude that the water area off the coast of Aceh Tamiang Regency, Aceh Province, is suitable for sea turtle habitat (Batagur borneoensis)

Polymorphic foraging tactics in a marine reptile: insight from horizontal movement and dive behavior analyses

Life-history polymorphism in habitat use has been widely reported in aquatic migratory animals. Adult loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta in the North Pacific exhibit foraging-habitat polymorphism, showing a 2.4-fold greater reproductive output for neritic foragers than for oceanic ones. However, knowledge of how turtles in each habitat behave and what effect this has on reproduction remains limited. We combined horizontal movement and dive behavior analyses to explore foraging behavior and habitat utilization in adult female loggerheads in the North Pacific. Between 2016 and 2018, satellite relay data loggers were attached to 10 females nesting in Japan. The turtles were tracked for 219.2 ± 185.0 d (±SD) within the range of 10 to 521 d. Three foraging destinations were revealed, with different foraging tactics in each habitat: (1) the neritic East China Sea (ECS), (2) neritic coastal areas of mainland Japan (CMJ), and (3) oceanic North Pacific Ocean (NPO). ECS females mainly foraged on benthic prey with foraging-site fidelity; however, some turtles alternately preyed on benthos and plankton along with their seasonal migration. CMJ females also foraged on benthic prey with site fidelity, whereas NPO females foraged on plankton by drifting eastward with the oceanic currents. Dive-type analyses revealed that the proportion of time spent presumably foraging was similar among the 3 habitats, suggesting that the nutrient richness of prey items and the migration distance between foraging and breeding grounds may cause differences in reproductive outputs among different life-history types of loggerhead turtles.

Interspecific interactions among three species of sea turtle using a common resting area.

Interspecific interactions among three species of sea turtle using a common resting area.

Dispersal of juvenile leatherback turtles from different Caribbean nesting beaches: A model study

The Northwest Atlantic (NWA) leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) subpopulation was recently classified as endangered. It nests in the Wider Caribbean Region and includes five genetic stocks, all declining, albeit at different rates. The causes of decline are multiple and difficult to identify based on annual nest counts which integrate the effects of multiple stressors over the entire life history. Demographic models, however, show that survival during the juvenile pelagic stage is the main factor modulating population trends, but this life stage remains largely unobserved. This paper presents a suite of numerical simulations where juveniles from the five NWA stocks disperse under the combined effects of ocean currents and habitat-driven swimming movements. Simulations reveal when and where NWA juveniles likely disperse and, thus, the environmental conditions and anthropogenic threats they may encounter. Simulated individuals initially disperse following either the “Caribbean route,” inside the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), or the “Atlantic route” east of the Antilles Islands Arc. The percentage of individuals following one or the other route varies markedly with the stock of origin. Late dispersal in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea is similar in all stocks. Juveniles following the Caribbean route are rapidly entrained northwards by the Gulf Stream and incur a high risk of cold-induced mortality. This mostly affects the Florida stock and the Western Caribbean (WCA) stock nesting in Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. The Atlantic route is less lethal as individuals progress more slowly toward higher latitudes. Simulations also show that the percentage of WCA juveniles visiting the GoM is larger than for any other stock. The learned migration goal (LMG) hypothesis, which posits that adult sea turtles tend to exploit foraging areas previously identified at the juvenile stage, may thus explain why WCA adults are overrepresented in the GoM. Finally, our results suggest that the recently observed increase in the percentage of WCA adults migrating into the GoM could be linked to bycatch reduction measures implemented in 2003–2004, combined with an increase in the frequency of Loop Current intrusion and eddy-shedding events that started around the year 2000.

Tracking movements and growth of post-hatchling to adult hawksbill sea turtles using skeleto+iso

In the eastern Pacific Ocean, hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) are adapted to use coastal habitats and ecosystems uncharacteristic of most other sea turtles. Once considered extirpated from this region, hawksbills had sought refuge in estuaries, nesting on muddy banks among the tangles of mangrove roots. This population is at high risk of bycatch during fishing efforts in the estuaries (blast fishing) and adjacent coastal rocky reefs (gillnets), and is further impacted by habitat degradation from coastal development and climate change. The conservation and population recovery of hawksbills in this region is highly dependent on management actions (e.g., nest relocation, habitat protection, bycatch mitigation), and a better understanding of how hawksbills use and move between distinct habitats will help prioritize conservation efforts. To identify multi-year habitat use and movement patterns, we used stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis of skin and bone growth layers to recreate movements between two isotopically distinct habitats, a nearshore rocky reef and a mangrove estuary, the latter distinguishable by low δ13C and δ15N values characteristic of a mangrove-based foodweb. We applied skeletochronology with sequential δ13C and δ15N analysis of annual growth layers, “skeleto+iso,” to a dataset of 70 hawksbill humeri collected from coastal El Salvador. The results revealed at least two unique habitat-use patterns. All turtles, regardless of stranding location, spent time outside of the mangrove estuaries during their early juvenile years (< 35 cm curved carapace length, CCL, age 0–5), showing that an oceanic juvenile stage is likely for this population. Juveniles ca. > 35 cm then began to recruit to nearshore areas, but showed divergent habitat-use as some of turtles occupied the coastal rocky reefs, while others settled into the mangrove estuaries. For turtles recruiting to the estuaries, settlement age and size ranged from 3 to 13 years and 35–65 cm CCL. For the adult turtles, age-at-sexual-maturity ranged from 16 to 26 years, and the maximum reproductive longevity observed was 33 years. The skeleto+iso also showed that adult hawksbills have long-term habitat fidelity, and the results demonstrate the importance of both mangrove estuary and nearshore rocky reefs to the conservation of hawksbills in the eastern Pacific.

One Shell of a Problem: Cumulative Threat Analysis of Male Sea Turtles Indicates High Anthropogenic Threat for Migratory Individuals and Gulf of Mexico Residents

Human use of oceans has dramatically increased in the 21st century. Sea turtles are vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors in the marine environment because of lengthy migrations between foraging and breeding sites, often along coastal migration corridors. Little is known about how movement and threat interact specifically for male sea turtles. To better understand male sea turtle movement and the threats they encounter, we satellite-tagged 40 adult male sea turtles of four different species. We calculated movement patterns using state-space modeling (SSM), and quantified threats in seven unique categories; shipping, fishing, light pollution, oil rigs, proximity to coast, marine protected area (MPA) status, and location within or outside of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). We found significantly higher threat severity in northern and southern latitudes for green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and Kemp’s ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii) in our study area. Those threats were pervasive, with only 35.9% of SSM points encountering no high threat exposure, of which 47% belong to just two individuals. Kemp’s ridleys were most exposed to high threats among tested species. Lastly, turtles within MPA boundaries face significantly lower threat exposure, indicating MPAs could be a useful conservation tool.

Photo‐identification confirms polyandry in loggerhead sea turtles

AbstractWhile polyandry in sea turtles is indicated through multiple‐paternity analyses of offspring, confirmed observations of the same female mating with multiple males are extremely challenging to obtain. To contribute to this discussion, we analysed a long‐term photo‐identification database (>20 years) of adult male and female loggerhead sea turtles frequenting the breeding area of Zakynthos, Greece, Mediterranean. A total of 38 records of mating individuals within and across seasons were assimilated via field surveys and citizen science records between 2003 and 2020. For one female, we recorded it mating with two different males within a 5.5‐h interval on the same day in 2015. This observation constitutes the first direct evidence of polyandry in sea turtles, in addition to highlighting the potential for photo‐identification to contribute information on less well‐known aspects of sea turtle biology, such as validating outputs of genetic studies.

Correction to: Foraging grounds of adult loggerhead sea turtles across the Mediterranean Sea: key sites and hotspots of risk

Correction to: Foraging grounds of adult loggerhead sea turtles across the Mediterranean Sea: key sites and hotspots of risk

Foraging grounds of adult loggerhead sea turtles across the Mediterranean Sea: key sites and hotspots of risk

Foraging grounds of adult loggerhead sea turtles across the Mediterranean Sea: key sites and hotspots of risk

Transplastron Enterocentesis to Manage Buoyancy Disorder in an Adult Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta)

Buoyancy disorder in sea turtles is a common condition that contributes to increased morbidity and mortality in the wild and because of this, is often encountered in rehabilitation facilities. The pathological gas accumulation that is a sequelae of this disorder can create challenges in treatment of this disease, especially when concurrent systemic disease is present. These challenges increase with patient size, as anatomy and location of pathology makes gas evacuation more difficult utilizing conventional methods when medical therapy alone is unsuccessful. This report discusses a novel technique utilizing ultrasonic-guided transplastron enterocentesis of the proximal gastrointestinal tract in an adult loggerhead sea turtle ( Caretta caretta ) with suspected intestinal obstruction. The sea turtle presented with positive buoyancy and routine workup revealed gas accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract, as well as concurrent pneumonia. Medical therapy alone did not diminish the positive buoyancy or gastrointestinal distension. Ultrasonic-guided transplastron enterocentesis was performed via the connective tissue lateral to the 3rd inframarginal scute while the turtle was positioned with its left side raised, allowing any gas-filled intestine to be positioned laterally. Approximately 10.3 L of gas were evacuated from the proximal gastrointestinal lumen and within 15 mins, the turtle was neutrally buoyant. It continued to exhibit normal surfacing, diving, and resting behavior. The turtle was released 111 days after enterocentesis in order to allow treatment of the concurrent pneumonia. The technique discussed in this report has implications for improving treatment of buoyancy disorder in large adult sea turtles and increasing likelihood of release.

Comparison of UAV and Boat Surveys for Detecting Changes in Breeding Population Dynamics of Sea Turtles

Surveying the breeding population of a given species can be difficult for many logistic reasons. Marine turtles are a challenging taxon for the study of reproductive ecology and breeding strategies, because turtles aggregate off-shore and males remain exclusively at sea. For successful management of sea turtle populations, determining operational sex ratios (OSRs) on a continuing basis is critical for determining long-term population viability, particularly in the context of changing hatchling sex ratios due to temperature-dependent sex determination in a warming climate. To understand how survey technique and stage of the breeding season might influence the ability to detect turtles and determine OSRs, we surveyed the presence and identified the sex of adult male and female green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) using a boat and small commercial unoccupied/unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), at the start (October) and peak (December) of a nesting season at an important breeding site at Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. The ratio of males to females within the breeding ground detected by both survey methods changed from being male-biased in October to heavily female-biased in December, indicating that most males cease their reproductive effort and depart before the peak of the nesting season. Surveying with a UAV more than doubled the rate of turtles seen per minute of survey effort compared with surveying solely from the boat and allowed surveys to be conducted at times and/or places unsafe or inaccessible for boats. The sex of a slightly greater proportion of turtles seen could not be identified by observers using a UAV versus a boat, although more turtles were detected using the UAV. The departure of many males during the peak of the nesting season is likely due to an increasing biological cost of residency in the area because males encounter fewer receptive females as the season progresses and the limited foraging opportunity is insufficient to support the number of males present. Overall, we found that UAVs are an effective tool for studying important but difficult to observe aspects of sea turtle biology.

Validating the use of stereo-video cameras to conduct remote measurements of sea turtles.

Point 1: Stereo‐video camera systems (SVCSs) are a promising tool to remotely measure body size of wild animals without the need for animal handling. Here, we assessed the accuracy of SVCSs for measuring straight carapace length (SCL) of sea turtles.Point 2: To achieve this, we hand captured and measured 63 juvenile, subadult, and adult sea turtles across three species: greens, Chelonia mydas (n = 52); loggerheads, Caretta caretta (n = 8); and Kemp's ridley, Lepidochelys kempii (n = 3) in the waters off Eleuthera, The Bahamas and Crystal River, Florida, USA, between May and November 2019. Upon release, we filmed these individuals with the SVCS. We performed photogrammetric analysis to extract stereo SCL measurements (eSCL), which were then compared to the (manual) capture measurements (mSCL).Point 3: mSCL ranged from 25.9 to 89.2 cm, while eSCL ranged from 24.7 to 91.4 cm. Mean percent bias of eSCL ranged from −0.61% (±0.11 SE) to −4.46% (±0.31 SE) across all species and locations. We statistically analyzed potential drivers of measurement error, including distance of the turtle to the SVCS, turtle angle, image quality, turtle size, capture location, and species.Point 4: Using a linear mixed effects model, we found that the distance between the turtle and the SVCS was the primary factor influencing measurement error. Our research suggests that stereo‐video technology enables high‐quality measurements of sea turtle body size collected in situ without the need for hand‐capturing individuals. This study contributes to the growing knowledge base that SVCS are accurate for body size measurements independent of taxonomic clade.

Movements of green turtles from foraging areas of the United Arab Emirates: regional habitat connectivity and use of marine protected areas

Adult sea turtles migrate between foraging areas and nesting sites that may be 100 s–1000 s of km away. Little is known of the connectivity between these sites in the Arabian region for green sea turtles. We document linkages between two foraging areas in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with key nesting sites and provide insights on effectiveness of marine protected areas for green sea turtles. Tracking 45 adult green sea turtles Chelonia mydas from foraging areas in the UAE, we show that the primary nesting destination for turtles foraging in Bu Tinah in the UAE is Ras al Hadd in Oman. The turtles use the waters of the UAE, Iran and Oman during breeding migrations and generally stay ~ 20 km off the coast, in waters 10–20 m deep except when crossing the Sea of Oman. Turtles display substantial fidelity to the original foraging sites, often traversing other known foraging sites when returning from the breeding migration. A small proportion of turtles also utilise more than one foraging site. Our data indicate that the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve in Abu Dhabi is broadly coincident with the foraging areas of turtles offering substantial protection from fishery activities and that the marine protected area in Ras Al Khaimah would be more effective in protecting green sea turtles if it extended offshore and along the coast. These data may contribute to targeted and effective national and international management and conservation initiatives in the Arabian region.

First Spatial Distribution Analysis of Male Sea Turtles in the Southern Gulf of Mexico

In the Gulf of Mexico, the bulk of published studies for sea turtles have focused on northern (United States) waters where economic resources are centered, with fewer studies in the southern portion of the basin, resulting in significant knowledge gaps in these underrepresented areas. Similarly, publications on adult sea turtles are dominated by research on females that come ashore to nest and can be readily studied (e.g., through the collection of biological samples and the application of satellite-telemetry devices), whereas information on adult male sea turtles is scarce. The goal of this paper is to begin filling these knowledge gaps by synthesizing available data on adult male sea turtles in the southern Gulf of Mexico. We used satellite-telemetry, boat- and drone-based surveys, and stranding records combined with ocean circulation modeling to better understand the spatial distribution of male loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), and Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles in the southern Gulf of Mexico. These spatially explicit analyses will provide context for opportunistically collected data on male sea turtles and better contribute to the management and restoration of sea turtle populations that use the Gulf of Mexico. Moreover, this synthesis can serve as a launching point for directed studies on male sea turtles in this region.

Challenges in the impact evaluation of behaviour change interventions: The case of sea turtle meat and eggs in São Tomé

AbstractRobust impact evaluations are needed for conservation to learn and grow as a field. Currently we lack a large body of evidence on the effects of behaviour change interventions in social‐ecological systems. By uncovering mechanistic relationships and establishing causality we can refine future programmes to enhance likelihood of effectiveness. Although a range of sophisticated methodological approaches to evaluation have been developed, conceptually linking project outcomes with conservation impacts remains difficult in complex systems.For example, sea turtles are one taxon in which unsustainable harvesting has been a particular problem. There have been a number of campaigns to reduce demand for sea turtle products, but we still have little evidence documenting their outcomes. We conducted the first formal impact evaluation of a conservation marketing campaign aimed at reducing the consumption of sea turtle meat and eggs. The campaign took place on the island of São Tomé, Central Africa, and included traditional mass media advertisements as well as community events. This is one of few demand reduction evaluations that has assessed both human behaviour and biological conservation outcomes. It benefited from an advantageous setting for evaluation, as nesting sea turtles are relatively easy to monitor and the island's small size and geographic isolation increased the detectability of potentially confounding factors. We found a decrease in self‐reported sea turtle egg consumption and a decrease in poaching of adult sea turtles.However, multiple unforeseen difficulties arose which complicated attempts at causal attribution. We were hampered by spatial spillovers, design effects from the sensitive questioning technique, concurring law enforcement and changes in biological monitoring effort. These challenges highlight the difficulties faced by practitioners seeking to apply impact evaluations in the field. We reflect on what this means for future impact evaluations of behaviour change interventions in conservation. Our recommendations include combining multiple outcome measures to triangulate hard‐to‐measure behaviours and theory‐based evaluation methods to explore causal impacts.A freePlain Language Summarycan be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

No evidence of selection against anomalous scute arrangements between juvenile and adult sea turtles in Florida.

Variations in the number and arrangement of scutes often are used for species identification in hard-shelled sea turtles. Despite the conserved nature of scute arrangements, anomalous arrangements have been noted in the literature for over a century, with anomalies linked to sub-optimal environmental conditions in the nest during development. Long-held assumptions suggest that anomalous scute arrangements are indicative of underlying physiological or morphological anomalies, with presumed long-term survival costs to the individual. Here, we examined a 25-year photo database of two species of sea turtle (Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas) captured incidentally and non-selectively on the eastern coast of Florida. Our results suggest that C. mydas is substantially more variable with respect to the arrangement of carapacial scutes, while C. caretta had a relatively higher proportion of individuals with anomalous plastron scute arrangements. We also show evidence that (a) the forms and patterns of anomalous scutes are stable throughout growth; (b) there is limited evidence for selection against non-modal arrangements in the size classes that were examined; and (c) that their frequency has remained stable in juvenile cohorts from 1994 until present. These findings indicate that there may not be a survival cost associated with anomalous scute arrangements once the turtles reach juvenile size classes, and that variation in scute arrangements within populations is relatively common.

Combining laparoscopy and satellite tracking: Successful round-trip tracking of female green turtles from feeding areas to nesting grounds and back

Adult sea turtles undertake periodic long-distance migrations between foraging and nesting areas during breeding migrations, and an understanding the connectivity between these two important habitats can contribute to efficient conservation planning. We present the first round-trip migrations of three green sea turtles in the Arabian region, from a foraging area to a nesting site and back, along with an interpretation of reproductive behaviour which would not have been possible from open-ended tracks. We studied habitat connectivity between seagrass foraging areas in the UAE and nesting beaches, and used laparoscopy as a diagnostic tool to determine gender and reproductive state to enhance the value of satellite tracking data. We identify habitat connectivity between a foraging area at Bu Tinah in the UAE and a nesting site at Ras al Hadd in Oman, document migratory behaviour in the Arabian region, and demonstrate the enhanced value of combining laparoscopy when satellite tracking sea turtles from foraging areas. The results of our work can help develop bilateral or multi-lateral conservation strategies, contribute to the identification of Important Turtle Areas (ITAs), and support national and regional population assessments. In addition, our findings will complement risk assessments for sea turtles in the face of urban and industrial development, climate change, fishery pressure, and shipping activities. This work successfully linked foraging areas and nesting sites, and our approach can be used to provide value-added benefits to future tracking of sea turtles from foraging areas.