Abstract

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has coordinated a National Marine Fisheries Service funded in-water sea turtle project since 1999. Initial efforts focused on regional index-of-abundance in the nearshore (15'-40') waters of South Carolina, Georgia and northern Florida ('99-'02). Subsequent in-water efforts ('03-'06) have targeted juvenile loggerhead abundance, health and life history in the Charleston, S.C. shipping channel. Reported aggregations of adult male loggerheads in the nearshore waters of Canaveral, Florida (Henwood, 1987) and the relative lack of knowledge on this segment of the loggerhead population directed the in-water efforts in 2006 and 2007 to investigate the abundance, health, reproductive status and migratory movements of this little studied group of animals. Review of methods and results to date.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the following:--National Marine Fisheries Service for funding support; Barbara Schroeder and Sherry Epperly of NMFS for advice and assistance.--Dave Owens, Kristen Mazzarella of Grice Marine Lab, College of Charleston.--Julia Byrd of South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.--Dave Rostal, Georgia Southern University.--University of Georgia Marine Extension Service and the R/V Georgia Bulldog for being a tremendous partner in our in-water efforts.--Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Tomo Hirama for support, assistance and permit support.

References

1.  Henwood TA. 1987. Movements and seasonal changes in loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta aggregations in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral, Florida (1978-1984). Biol. Conserv. 40: 191-202.