Mosquito Lagoon (Ehrhart)

Project Type(s):capture

Site Name:Mosquito Lagoon (Ehrhart)

Site Reference Number:37

Region(s):Southeast, Northeast

Counties:Brevard, Volusia

Approximate Latitude: 28.76 Approximate Longitude: -80.74

Principal Investigator(s):Ehrhart, Llewellyn

Point(s) of Contact:Ehrhart, Llewellyn - Phone Number: (407) 823-2970, Email: lmehrhart@earthlink.com

Organizations Involved:University of Central Florida

Organization Type(s):university

Project Status: Inactive

Start Date: 7/1976

End Date: 4/1979

General Method(s) Used:set net

	Visual	Capture
Sampling regime:	annually	annually
Measure of effort:	unknown	cap/area

Bottom Type(s):sand, seagrass

Water Type Zone: neritic Water Type Environment: estuarine

Min. Depth (m): 0 Max. Depth (m): 2

Mean Depth (m): 0.7

Species	No. of Captures	No. of Sightings	Min Size* (cm)	Max Size* (cm)	Mean Size* (cm)	FP Observed	Life Stages**	Comments
Green Turtle (Cm)	23	n/a	29.5	75.4	0.0	No	n/r
Loggerhead (Cc)	82	n/a	44.0	92.5	0.0	No	n/r
Kemp's Ridley (Lk)	0	n/a	0.0	0.0	0.0	n/a	n/a
Hawksbill (Ei)	0	n/a	0.0	0.0	0.0	n/a	n/a
Leatherback (Dc)	0	n/a	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.

growth rates

residency

sonic tracking

Netting took place at six main sites throughout Mosquito Lagoon between July 1976 and April 1979. The most productive sites for green turtle captures were adjacent to extensive seagrass areas. Loggerheads were captured throughout the year, but the most productive months were from April to October. Low overall catch rates of the species could have been due to a sampling bias towards the warmer months. Green turtles were captured more frequently in warmer months, especially August, than in cooler months. Green turtles remained in the lagoon for extended periods of time, suggesting residency. The size structures of the loggerhead and green turtle populations were different: all captured green turtles were immature, whereas some captured loggerheads were adults. Recapture data suggested that there was more immigration of loggerheads than green turtles into the lagoon. In addition, it appeared that the population structure of each species varied in the lagoon, suggesting possible differences in habitat use. Although both species entered the lagoon around the same time, recaptured loggerheads appeared to grow twice as fast as recaptured green turtles and may leave the lagoon earlier than do green turtles. Green turtles and loggerheads may use the lagoon at different life stages, or loggerheads may simply grow faster than green turtles. Ehrhart and Mendonca found that green turtles adopted home ranges at water temperatures above 25° C and remained active at water temperatures between 18° C and 34° C. Green turtles occupied deeper waters when water temperatures dropped to between 11° C and 18° C and apparently stopped feeding. Diurnal feeding behavior was observed in the telemetered turtles.

No documents uploaded.

Ehrhart, L. M. and R. Yoder 1976. Initial results of studies of marine turtles in Mosquito Lagoon, Merritt Island NWR, Brevard county, Florida. Florida Scientist. 39:3

Mendonca, M. 1983. Movements and feeding ecology of immature green turtles (Chelonia mydas ) in a Florida lagoon. Copeia 4:1013-1023.