General Information

capture, sighting
The Breakers Central Reef Tract
19
Southeast
Palm Beach
26.72 -80.03
Makowski, Chris; Salmon, Michael; Seminoff, Jeffrey
Salmon, Michael - Phone Number: (561) 297-2747, Email: salmon@fau.edu
Florida Atlantic University
university
Inactive
7/2001
11/2003

Equipment and Methods

dive, dive

Sampling and Effort

Visual Capture
Sampling regime: annually annually
Measure of effort: unknown cap/area
hardbottom, worm rock
neritic marine
0 6.8
2.8

Captures and Sightings Information

Species No. of
Captures		 No. of
Sightings		 Min Size*
(cm)		 Max Size*
(cm)		 Mean Size*
(cm)		 FP
Observed		 Life Stages** Comments
Green Turtle (Cm) 6 141 27.9 48.1 36.7 No n/r
Loggerhead (Cc) 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 n/a n/a
Kemp's Ridley (Lk) 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 n/a n/a
Hawksbill (Ei) 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 n/a n/a
Leatherback (Dc) 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 n/a n/a
*All size measurements are SSCL unless otherwise indicated
** For Cm, Cc, Lk, & Ei: O - Oceanic-stage juvenile; N - Neritic-stage juvenile; S - Subadult; A - Adult. For Dc: I - Immature; A - Adult. n/a = not applicable; n/r = not reported.

This report adheres to the following size ranges for life stage classification for these species:

Green turtle Loggerhead Kemp's ridley Hawksbill
Oceanic-stage juvenile < 25 cm SCL < 30 cm SCL < 25 cm SCL < 25 cm SCL
Neritic-stage juvenile 25-69 cm SCL 30-69 cm SCL 25-39 cm SCL 25-64 cm SCL
Subadult 70-84 cm SCL 70-79 cm SCL 40-59 cm SCL 65-74 cm SCL
Adult ≥ 85 cm SCL ≥ 80 cm SCL ≥ 60 cm SCL ≥ 75 cm SCL
Leatherback
Immature < 135 cm OCL
Adult ≥ 135 cm OCL

Other Information Collected

diet
sonic tracking

Project Summary

Six juvenile green turtles were equipped with ultrasonic transmitters and tracked for 55-62 days, with an average of 94 transmissions per turtle. All turtles occupied distinct home ranges and core areas that were largely restricted to the reef and showed considerable overlap with food and shelter sites. At night, each turtle revisited its own exclusive resting site(s) along the nearshore reef tract. Four of the six turtles selected only one resting site. The other two turtles each used two resting sites on opposite ends of their respective home ranges. More than one turtle was never observed at any one resting site. Daytime diving patterns consisted of more frequent, shallower dives than nighttime patterns. Lavage sampling showed all six turtles had a mixed diet of similar macroalgae and sponge fragments.

Documents

File Name Type Description
Makowski_et_al_2005.pdf Journal Article
Makowski_et_al_2006.pdf Journal Article
* This document is available from FWC by request. Email SeaTurtleData@MyFWC.com if you would like a copy. Please include both the project name and file name in your email.
** This document has been provided to FWC but is unavailable for download. Please contact the project PI if you would like a copy.

Literature/Reports Produced

Makowski, C. et al. 2002. "Shark fishing": a technique for estimating the distribution of juvenile green turtles (Cm) in shallow water developmental habitats, Palm Beach County, Florida USA. In: Seminoff, J. (comp.). 22nd ISTS. NMFS-SEFSC-503, pp. 241.

Makowski, C. 2004. Home Range and Movements of Juvenile Atlantic Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas L.) on Shallow Reef Habitats in Palm Beach, Florida, USA. Master's thesis, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, 37 pp.

Makowski, C., R.P. Slattery, and M. Salmon. 2005. "Shark fishing": a method for determining the abundance and distribution of sea turtles at reef habitats. Herpetological Review 36:36-38.

Makowski, C., J.A. Seminoff, and M. Salmon. 2006. Home range and habitat use of juvenile Atlantic green turtles (Chelonia mydas L.) on shallow reef habitats in Palm Beach, Florida, USA. Marine Biology 148:1167-1179.