Tag Returns from Loggerhead Turtles from Wassaw Island, GA

• Published in: Southeastern naturalist (Steuben, Me.) Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 165 - 172
• Main Authors: Williams, Kristina L., Frick, Michael G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Southeastern Naturalist 01-03-2008; Humboldt Field Research Institute
• Subjects: Animal nesting; Beaches; Caretta; Female animals; Foraging; Gulfs; Loggerhead turtles; Nesting sites; Sea turtles; Sharks; Turtles; ASW, Mexico Gulf
• ISSN: 1528-7092; 1938-5412
• DOI: 10.1656/1528-7092(2008)7[165:TRFLTF]2.0.CO;2

Much of what is known about sea turtle biology is attributed to research conducted on nesting females, due to the accessibility of these animals when on the beach. Long-range tag-return data obtained from individual loggerheads are helpful when determining population estimates, nesting ranges, seasonal dispersal patterns, and possible foraging areas. The Caretta Research Project has run a saturation-tagging project on Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge, GA since 1973. Tag returns received from the east coast of the United States to the Gulf of Mexico provide evidence that while some female turtles demonstrate site fidelity, others utilize multiple beaches during a nesting season as well as throughout their reproductive lifetimes and travel extensively between nesting seasons.