Annual Report-2004 Season: Dry Tortugas National Park Sea Turtle Monitoring Program Monroe County, Florida

Grimshaw, Kerry

The 2004 Dry Tortugas Sea Turtle Monitoring Program documented a total of 645 sea turtle crawls during its ninth year. Of the 645 crawls, 458 (71.0%) were identified as being loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)crawls, 184 (28.5%) were identified as green sea turtle(Chelonia mydas) crawls, and for the first time ever documented at Dry Tortugas National Park there were 3 (0.5%) leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) crawls. Throughout the season there were a documented 134 loggerhead nests, 59 green nests, 3 leatherback nests, 324 loggerhead false crawls and 125 green false crawls. The majority of sea turtle activity was recorded on East Key (49.3%), followed by Loggerhead Key (38.8%). Loggerhead turtle activity peaked in June, while green turtle activity peaked in July. The average incubation period was 54.3 days for loggerhead turtles (SD=S.O; r=47-71; n=34) and 53.9 days for green turtles (SD=4.5; r=47-64; n=12). The average clutch size for loggerhead nests was 106.2 eggs (SD=17.0; r=69-148; n=53), while the average clutch size for green nests was 116.8 eggs (SD=28.0; r=62-173; n=16). For the 2004 nesting season at Dry Tortugas National Park there was an average hatching success rate of 73.8% (SD=27.0%; r=0.0 99.2%; n=69) and an average release rate of 73.0% (SD=25.2%; r=0.0-99.2%; n=69). For loggerhead turtle nests the average hatching success rate of 76.9%(SD=25.2%; r=0.0 99.2%; n=53), with an average release rate of 76.0% (SD=25.0%; r=0.0-99.2%; n=53). The green turtle nests had an average hatching success rate of 63.7% (SD=23.8%; r=22.6-97.4%; n=16), and an average release rate of 62.9% (SD=23.8%; r=22.6-97.4%; n=16). In the Dry Tortugas National Park 2004 nesting season 69 nests were inventoried yielding an estimated 7,494 eggs were evaluated with an estimated 5,386 hatchlings entering the Gulf of Mexico.