13 Jul SPOT Tag Provides Two Years of Tracks on Loggerhead Turtle

Habitat loss and degradation of nesting beaches due to marine and coastal development and tourism, collision with vessels, marine pollution, and illegal trade are only a few of the threats to marine turtle populations caused by human activities. The project, “Conservation of Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean Region,” aims to enhance the protection of marine turtles within the Mediterranean region by reducing human-induced direct mortality.

In June 2019, the MAVA Foundation funded a tagging project on Ella the loggerhead turtle, implemented by ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece. After nesting on the beach in Kyparissia Bay in western Greece (the red + on the map), she was equipped with a Wildlife Computers SPOT-375 (Rhino) tag. Since then, Ella has provided high-quality Argos locations daily for the last two years enabling the team to track her movements into the western Mediterranean and waters of France and Spain. Beyond that, the team also tracked her return migration in June 2021 back to her nesting grounds on the same beach where she was tagged.

“This is one of only a handful of tracks in the Mediterranean that covered a complete breeding cycle,” commented lead scientist, ALan F. Rees, Ph.D. “This SPOT tag track shows some of the best coverage for the entire two-year duration.”