IMIS

Advances in tracking technology have created a global understanding of sea turtle at-sea movement and behavior. This combined with efforts to understand the global distribution of human interactions with sea turtles gives the ability to enact global sea turtle conservation. Strikingly missing from this suite of understanding is the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), particularly Eastern Atlantic populations. Using satellite tags deployed from Gabon, Africa, we aim to determine olive ridley foraging strategies and oceanographic habitat, determine multi-species turtle hotspots, and their interactions with fisheries. This will result in a greater understanding of one of the least-studied species of sea turtle, where this species overlaps with other sea turtle species, and the ability to create effective fishery mitigation leading to comprehensive sea turtle conservation. Dataset credit = the Gabon Olive Ridley Program Project partners: In conjunction with Parc National de Mayumba, the Wildlife Conservation Society, Aventures Sans Frontieres, researchers from seaturtle.org, the University of California - Santa Cruz and the University of Exeter have attached satellite transmitters to female olive ridley turtles nesting at Mayumba National Park, Gabon. Project sponsors: This project is sponsored by the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, Tagging of Pacific Pelagics, Achievements Rewards for College Students, National Science Foundation, Myers Oceanographic Trust, Friends of Long Marine Lab, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, CDELSI, Marine Turtle Research Group and seaturtle.org.