Sasha and Joe followed from outer space

Green turtle equipped with a beacon and an antenna © Julien Chalifour
Green turtle equipped with a beacon and an antenna © Julien Chalifour

Four green turtles were captured in Bay Blanche at Tintamare - then released - as part of the SeaTag operation on June 14-16, 2015 The goal of this project, financed by Europe, the Region of Guadeloupe, DEAL, Biome funds, and the EDF Foundation, is to increase knowledge about the green turtles in the Guadeloupe archipelago. Éric Delcroix, in charge of this project for the Réserve Naturelle of Petite-Terre, participated along with Antoine Chabrolle, who is responsible for marine turtles at the ONCFS, as well as Océane Beaufort and Caroline Cestor-Magro, from the association Kap Natirel. The four green turtles in question were captured near their feeding grounds and were not in a reproductive phase. They were measured and banded, while two of them were equipped with sophisticated Argos tags. This allows the turtles to be followed by satellite, recording not only their movement and the zones they visit, but also the number of dives they make, plus the length and depth of the dives. This information is permanently available online at seaturtle.org, by entering the name of the animal in the field «animal finder.» The scientific office at the Réserve Naturelle is interested in any and all photos of Sasha and Joe – easily recognizable thanks to their red beacons. Please send photos to science@rnsm.org. Please make sure not to harass these turtles and especially do not damage the beacon and its antenna attached to their backs, so that they can continue to teach us about their daily habits over the next seven months.

The thirty eco-volunteers who participated in the annual project to count turtle nests met on the beach in Long Bay for a nocturnal field trip on August 26 from 8:30pm to 12:30am. They were able to observe three green turtles, but two of them rapidly returned to the sea. The third had started to dig a nest, before changing its mind and heading back to the water. The eco-volunteers for this area counted 80 traces of turtles in Long Bay in August 2015 and 39 in July. The season for nesting and egg-laying runs from March to November, and it is critical not to bother the animals during this period.
Tortue verte équipée d’une balise et de son antenne © Julien Chalifour
Tortue verte équipée d’une balise et de son antenne © Julien Chalifour

All articles from: Newsletter-24

Better Knowledge About Protected Areas And Protected Species

? Top