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Title
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Piloting the use of stereo-video cameras to develop a non-invasive in-water index of juvenile sea turtle length distributions in the Bahamas and the northern Gulf of Mexico.
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Author
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Siegfried, Tabitha Renee
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Abstract/Description
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The northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) from the Panhandle to the Big Bend areas of Florida have had few studies that assess sea turtle population dynamics in-water. This study aimed to expand sea turtle research within this geographic region by collecting in situ data on sea turtles using a stereo-video camera system (SVCS). First, the accuracy of a SVCS to measure straight carapace length (SCL) of sea turtles in the Bahamas and Florida was assessed. To achieve this, 63 juvenile, subadult, and...
Show moreThe northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) from the Panhandle to the Big Bend areas of Florida have had few studies that assess sea turtle population dynamics in-water. This study aimed to expand sea turtle research within this geographic region by collecting in situ data on sea turtles using a stereo-video camera system (SVCS). First, the accuracy of a SVCS to measure straight carapace length (SCL) of sea turtles in the Bahamas and Florida was assessed. To achieve this, 63 juvenile, subadult, and adult sea turtles across three species, were hand-captured and measured. Mean percent bias of stereo SCL ranged from -0.61% (± 0.11 SE) to -4.46% (± 0.31 SE) across all species. SVCS was then used to assess the population structure within the nGOM. Results show that artificial reefs are serving as developmental habitats for juvenile Chelonia mydas, while also supporting sub-adult and adult Caretta caretta and juvenile Lepidochelys kempii. This indicates that the coastal waters of the nGOM should be considered an important habitat for sea turtle populations and should be prioritized for research. Establishing novel, non-invasive methodologies to collect data on abundance, size distribution, and habitat use of sea turtles, can help improve conservation status assessments.
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Date Issued
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2020, 2020
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Identifier
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1233040286, WFE0000740
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Format
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Document (PDF)