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During August 2000, Sandra MacPherson (National Sea Turtle Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and Barbara Schroeder (National Sea Turtle Coordinator, NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service) attached satellite transmitters to loggerhead turtles in Florida. Five transmitters were placed on turtles that had nested in the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge near Melbourne, Florida, with the assistance of Dr. Llew Ehrhart and his students (University of Central Florida). Florida beaches account for 90 percent of loggerhead nesting in the southeastern United States, a population that is the largest in the western hemisphere and one of the two largest in the world. Visitors to this site will be able to follow these five turtles by clicking a name below.
This tracking project is aimed at locating the migratory routes and principle foraging habitats of Florida loggerheads after they nest. The collected data will help identify the threats that sea turtles may encounter while traveling to and from their nesting beaches and while residing at their foraging areas. This information will be of vital importance to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service in determining where international cooperative efforts should be focused to ensure recovery of our shared sea turtle resources.
During 1998 and 1999, a total of 10 satellite transmitters were deployed at the Archie Carr refuge and results indicate that post-nesting Florida loggerheads migrate over long distances and travel through and reside in the waters of nations other than the U.S., including Cuba, the Bahamas, and Mexico.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service
would like to thank Dr. Llew Ehrhart and his students, University of
Central Florida, for their assistance with this project.
For more information on sea turtles, check out the Sea Turtles Information section of our website.
Click on the turtle's name to see a map of its movements.
PERCEID - Perceid was first encountered at 9:50p.m. on August 10, 2000, while covering a nest laid at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge during the Perceid meteor shower. A satellite tag was applied after she finished nesting. Perceid measured 98.4 cm in curved carapace (shell) length.
KAME SAN - Kame san was first encountered at 1:00a.m. on August 11, 2000, while digging an egg chamber at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. A satellite tag was applied after she finished nesting. Kame san measured 100.8 cm in curved carapace (shell) length.
STAR - Star was first encountered at 10:00p.m. on August 11, 2000, while laying eggs at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. A satellite tag was applied after she finished nesting. Star measured 100.2 cm in curved carapace (shell) length.
PATIENCE - Patience was first encountered at 10:15p.m. on August 11, 2000, while digging a body pit prior to laying eggs at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. A satellite tag was applied after she finished nesting. Patience measured 93.7 cm in curved carapace (shell) length.
EUNICE - Eunice was first encountered at 10:28p.m. on August 12, 2000, while she was emerging onto the beach at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. A satellite tag was applied after she finished nesting. Eunice measured 97.7 cm in curved carapace (shell) length.
On the night of June 4th, 2002, researchers from the University of Central Florida were successful in locating Eunice while she was nesting in the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. Biologist Blair Witherington (Florida Marine Research Institute) outfitted Eunice with a new satellite transmitter to see if she repeats the same post-nesting season movements. Unfortunately, data from the new transmitter may not be available on the web site.
UPDATE - Eunice is almost back to her foraging grounds! On Friday, August 9, 2002 she was between the Marquesas and the Dry Tortugas. On Saturday, August 10, 2002 she was due north of the Dry Tortugas. So, it looks like Eunice will be at her foraging grounds in a day or two!
Funding for the 2000 Florida Atlantic Coast Turtle Satellite Tracking Project was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service. Maps created by the Sea Turtle Survival League.
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