Document of dataset 4814

Dataset record

Type

Dataset

title in English

Movement patterns of Kemp’s ridley sea turtles in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico 2004-2007

Description in English

Immature individuals were tracked primarily during warmer months and exhibited preferences for tidal passes, bays, coastal lakes, and nearshore waters, although movement patterns varied among years. Females tracked during their inter-­nesting intervals remained in the vicinity of the upper Texas coast and, upon entering the post-nesting stage, moved eastward along the 20 m isobath to foraging areas offshore of central Louisiana. Satellite telemetry indicated that inshore and continental shelf waters of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico serve as developmental, migratory, inter-nesting, and post-nesting habitat for the Kemp’s ridley. Projected population growth will likely lead to increased use of the northwestern Gulf by the species and more frequent encounters with human activities. The extent of such anthropogenic interactions and need for mitigation measures should be examined and considered by natural resource managers to facilitate continued recovery of this and other sea turtle species in the Gulf of Mexico. Likewise, research efforts should be continued to better understand seasonal in-water distributions, abundances, population dynamics, and mortality risks to all life history stages.

Purpose: The following research objectives were identified: (1) to characterize movements of benthic-stage im mature and adult female Kemp’s ridleys in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico; and (2) to identify Kemp's ridley migration patterns and foraging grounds in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.

This dataset is a summarized representation of the telemetry locations aggregated per species per 1-degree cell.

Abstract in English

The Kemp's ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys kempii is recovering from declines that reduced nesting from a single-day estimate of 10000 to 40000 females in 1947 to <300 during the entire 1985 nesting season. Although beach monitoring is crucial to estimating nesting population size and activity, in-water data are essential for understanding population dynamics, evaluating management strategies, and ensuring the species’ continued recovery. Fifteen immature and 7 adult female ridleys were fitted with platform terminal transmitters and released off the upper Texas coast during 2004 through 2007.

License

https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-NC-4.0.html

bibliographicCitation

Seney, E.E. and A.M. Landry. 2011. Movement patterns of immature and adult female Kemp’s ridley sea turtles in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 440:241-254
Seney, E.E. and A.M. Landry. 2008. Movements of Kemp’s ridley sea turtles nesting on the upper Texas coast: Implications for management. Endangered Species Research. 4:73-84