Sea turtle migration- Evidence from tag returns
Meyian A. 1982. Sea turtle migration- Evidence from tag returns. Pages 91-100. In Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles: proceedings of the World conference on sea turtle conservation. Washington D.C.. November 26-30, 1979. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington D.C.
In this paper, summaries of available tag-return data bearing on the migration of adult marine turtles are presented. Low frequencies of tag-return for most colonies studied have hindered efforts to establish migratory patterns. For some species, tagging has provided good evidence of periodic travel between resident foraging grounds and the nesting beach. No turtle has yet been monitored during a migratory journey, and navigatory mechanisms and travel routes remain unknown. For some species, there is evidence of group migration, both from direct observation of migrating schools, and from the simultaneous long-distance recovery of turtles ragged together on a nesting beach. Tag-return data show that average travel speeds of 20 to 40 km/day are sustainable for long periods, and that migration may be made against prevailing currents. Feeding and developmental migrations remain largely unstudied, due to the difficulty of tagging and recovering turtles during these phases of the life cycle.
- Type
- Conference Proceeding Paper
- Authors
- Meyian, Anne
- Units
- SFCN
- Keywords
- marine ecosystem, migration paths, Migration Patterns, Radio Collar, Sea Turtles, Telemetry