Author: Sam Trail
Date: August 25, 2023
Where do little sea turtles go after emerging from nests on the beach? For a long time, scientists knew that hatchlings entered the ocean and those that survived as mature females returned to nest on beaches. However, where sea turtles spend their time in between has remained a mystery known as the “Lost Years.”
In collaboration with Upwell , the FAU Marine Lab is helping to demystify those data-deficient years as part of Upwell’s Lost Years initiative to tag and track these tiny turtles out at sea. The gold standard in marine biologging and biotelemetry studies is for satellite tags to weigh less than 5% of the tagged animal's body mass. The FAU Marine Lab rears turtles as part of various research projects, and when these turtles are over 100 grams and ready to be released, Upwell provides the prototype micro-satellite tags each weighing about 2.5 grams to follow them on their oceanic journey.
This month, 12 lab-reared leatherback turtles were fitted with tags and released into the Gulf Stream off the coast of Southeast Florida. The tags are transmitting data on the turtle’s movements and will eventually fall off as the turtle’s carapaces grow thanks to the innovative attachment technique designed by FAU Marine Lab Director Dr. Jeanette Wyneken. Upwell mobilizes data from the tags to shed light on the important nursery habitats and migration corridors that endangered sea turtle species use during their Lost Years as part of their work to mitigate human-related threats throughout this vulnerable period.
Here at the lab, more turtles continue to grow. We anticipate releasing another set of turtles later this season, so stay tuned for more tracking updates!
