IMIS

Argentina is the southernmost green turtle boundary of the West Atlantic Ocean. Early juveniles of this species inhabit the coastal waters of Argentina with evidence of the occurrence of green turtles along 2800 km of coastline; from Gualeguaychu (33º01'S, 58º30'W) to Puerto Piramides (42º34'S, 64º16'W). Individuals seem to be congregated at estuarine areas such as Samborombon Bay (34º- 36ºS to 55.5º- 57ºW) and Bahia Blanca estuary (38º- 35ºS to 61º- 62ºW) during the warm season. In Samborombon Bay, incidental capture of turtles in gillnets and marine debris ingestion have been detected as the main threats for this species. In the Bahia Blanca estuary, incidental capture in shrimp nets has been frequently recorded since 2003 and live turtles have been recovered since then. The turtles remain at the estuaries for an unknown period of time after which they migrate hypothetically to tropical latitudes. A broad understanding of the biology and ecology of this endangered species has not been achieved in this area yet. Simple questions such as how much time do the turtles spend in Argentine waters, where do they migrate next, what are they feeding on and how much of the turtles' distribution is overlapping with different anthropogenic activities are now beginning to be answered. The general goal of this project is to contribute to the conservation and knowledge of the green turtles in Argentina through community involvement and scientific research focused in their habitat use, movement patterns and feeding ecology.