Florida Bay is an important sea turtle habitat located between the
southern tip of the Florida peninsula and the Florida Keys.
Funded in part by the National Fish and
The Importance of Florida Bay
Florida Bay is an important sea turtle habitat located between
the southern tip of the Florida peninsula and the Florida Keys.
Every summer, a team of researchers capture loggerheads and
gather data. These studies establish long-term trends that are
essential to monitor and investigate overall health and any changes
in the habitat.
Researchers are attempting to answer the following
- What are the growth rates of loggerhead and green turtles in
- Do loggerheads exhibit long-term fidelity to foraging
- What are the long-term prevalence rates of fibropapilloma
- Is the population of marine turtles that inhabit Florida Bay
increasing or decreasing?
About 75-100 live loggerheads are
captured from Rabbit Key Basin, Twin Key Basin and Arsnicker Basin
over a 10-day sampling period in early summer each year.
Researchers go out on two flat-bottomed vessels, traveling at a
slow speed in a random search pattern until a turtle is spotted.
Snorkelers then dive near the turtles and capture them by hand.
Coordinates of the capture site are taken using a Global
Positioning System (GPS) unit. Environmental data is noted,
including water and air temperature, salinity, water depth and a
description of the sea bottom. The turtle is brought on board and
measured, weighed, examined externally and photographed. Any signs
of injuries or fibropapilloma
tumors are documented.
The turtle is then tagged
with Inconel metal tags along the rear edge of both front flippers.
Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags are also placed into the
right front flipper using a sterile hypodermic needle. The PIT tag
is a tiny microprocessor capable of transmitting a unique
identification code when excited by a detector.
Before releasing the turtle, a number is painted on the carapace
to make sure the same one is not recaptured during the sampling
period. The paint is not permanent - it fades after a few