Charlotte Harbor - Kemp's ridleys
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Dataset creditMote Marine Laboratory
AbstractA number of long-term tagging studies have been conducted to characterize aggregations of marine turtles in nearshore areas of western Florida, but information gaps still exist along the extensive west coast. These gaps are of importance as this region represents developmental habitat that is critical to the viability of the endangered Kemp’s ridley turtle. Mote Marine Laboratory has collected extensive sighting data and conducted field surveys to study the in-water ecology of marine turtles in the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary. These surveys have documented habitat partitioning among the species and identified certain areas in estuarine complex as foraging habitat for Kemp’s ridleys, but efforts have been hampered by the after effects of hurricanes and the ineffectiveness of set nets in capturing turtles. Conservancy of Southwest Florida and Mote Marine Laboratory are currently collaborating on in-water studies to characterize marine turtle aggregations inhabiting eastern Pine Island Sound using active fishing methods (i.e., strike netting).
Kemp's ridley turtles in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico exhibit seasonal occurrence in nearshore waters and satellite telemetry has been used to investigate their winter migration along the west coast of Florida. Similar studies are needed to determine their seasonal distribution and possible migrations in the relatively warmer waters of the southwestern Florida. Locational data from satellite telemetry can also be used to assess the potential impacts from storm water management in upland areas (i.e., release of Lake Okeechobee water via Caloosahatchee River), harmful algal blooms in nearshore and offshore waters (i.e., red tide events), as well as interactions with fisheries and petroleum exploration/extraction in offshore waters. Tracking efforts will be expanded in the following years to provide a better understanding of how Kemp’s ridleys use Charlotte Harbor estuary and surrounding waters. Research activities are conducted under NMFS permit #13544 and FFWCC permit #136. A red tide bloom has been affecting southwest Florida since September. The highest concentrations have been in the Gulf waters south of Sanibel Island and a number of Kemp's ridley turtles have stranded in this area. Updates on the status of Florida red tides are available at the following: http://myfwc.com/research/redtide/events/status/statewide/ http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/hab/ Real-time data on water temperature, salinity, chlorophyll, and turbidity in Charlotte Harbor is available from Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation's RECON website (Rivers, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network) http://recon.sccf.org/recent/index.shtml PurposeN/A
Supplemental informationProject partner
Conservancy of Southwest Florida http://www.conservancy.org/ Mote Marine Laboratory http://www.mote.org/seaturtles NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/species/turtles/ Project sponsor This project was supported in part by grants awarded to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida from the Sea Turtle Grants Program. The Sea Turtle Grants Program is funded from proceeds from the sale of the Florida Sea Turtle License Plate. Learn more at www.helpingseaturtles.org Our sincere thanks to the generous support provided by the following: Naples Best Addresses at www.naplesbestaddresses.com Turtle Club Restaurant at http://www.windwardhospitality.com/naples/index.html Jan Bachrach Christopher and Jeannie Smith David and Vicky Smith ReferencesContacts
AttributesOverviewAttributes described below represent those in the original dataset provided by the provider. This section explains attributes included in the original dataset. OBIS-SEAMAP restricts the attributes available to the public to date/time, lat/lon and species names/counts only. Should you need other attributes described here, you are encouraged to contact the data provider. Attributes in dataset provided
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