Project Page

Coastal Alabama Sea Turtle (CAST) Habitat Usage and Population Dynamics

Implementing Organization

US Department of the Interior

Overview

DWH Project Funding

$1,631,696

Known Leveraged Funding

$0

Funding Organization

Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (NRDA)

Funding Program

Natural Resource Damage Assessment NRDA

Details

Project Category

Environmental

Project Actions

Species Restoration

Targeted Resources

Sea Turtles

Project Description

The project will study habitat use and distribution patterns of sea turtles along the Alabama coast. Sea turtles will be captured by hand or using dip nets and tangle (set) nets at several sites along the Alabama coast, including inshore waters (i.e., Perdido Bay, Bon Secour Bay, Mobile Bay, and the Mississippi Sound) and the nearshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Sea turtles may be tagged with satellite or acoustic transponders to acquire data on sea turtle movement and habitat use. Acoustic receivers will be installed in Alabama waters to track sea turtles that have received acoustic tags. Morphometric data, including size and weight, will be gathered from all sampled turtles, and a visual health assessment conducted. Biological samples, including blood, skin, and scute will be gathered from each individual. Using biological, genetic, and stable isotope analyses, researchers can explain links among and within populations and can identify human actions that disrupt important population connections and cause environmental threats. Genetic analysis allows researchers to identify the connectivity of turtles that use Alabama waters to larger populations, such as determining from which nesting beaches juvenile turtles originated. Data from these samples will help determine distribution and habitat use, vital rates (including survival rates), connectivity with other areas of the Gulf of Mexico, and potential impacts of anthropogenic activities for sea turtles in coastal and nearshore waters of Alabama. These data will assist the Alabama Trustee Implementation Group (AL TIG) with restoration planning for sea turtles restoration in Alab...click on "More Info" link below

Contact

Dianne Ingram
(251) 517-8012
dianne_ingram@fws.gov
Project Website
Project Partners

None

Affiliated Institutions

For official trustee information regarding the Deepwater Horizon NRDA, including information regarding the NRDA process and the status of projects, see https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/

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