Cedar Key (Carr and Caldwell)

General Information

Project Type(s):fishery

Site Name:Cedar Key (Carr and Caldwell)

Site Reference Number:6

Region(s):Northwest, Northwest

Counties:Citrus, Levy

Approximate Latitude: 29 Approximate Longitude: -82.92

View ArcGIS map of study area

Principal Investigator(s):Caldwell, David; Carr, Archie

Point(s) of Contact:

Organizations Involved:American Museum of Natural History, Florida State Museum, University of Florida

Organization Type(s):museum, museum, university

Project Status: Inactive

Start Date: 5/1955

End Date: 11/1955

Equipment and Methods

General Method(s) Used:set net

Sampling and Effort

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

Bottom Type(s):channel, seagrass

Water Type Zone: neritic Water Type Environment: estuarine

Min. Depth (m): 0 Max. Depth (m): 10.7

Mean Depth (m): 2.7

Captures and Sightings Information

Species	No. of Captures	No. of Sightings	Min Size* (cm)	Max Size* (cm)	Mean Size* (cm)	FP Observed	Life Stages**
Green Turtle (Cm)	43	n/a	41.3	57.8	59.8	No	N
Loggerhead (Cc)	0	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Kemp's Ridley (Lk)	25	n/a	38.1	63.5	52.4	No	N, S, A
Hawksbill (Ei)	0	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Leatherback (Dc)	0	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	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

Project Summary

Data in this study came from commercial turtle catches in the Cedar Key area. Green turtle and Kemp’s ridley commercial catch decreased in the fall and resumed in late spring. The larger-sized turtles of both species were caught early in the season, whereas turtles were smaller late in the season. Local fishermen observed mud-covered turtles in the spring and “bunching” (temporary increases in catch) at the beginning and end of the season, providing some evidence of possible overwintering behavior. Fishermen also found small green turtles in the area, particularly near rivers, but they were not taken commercially.

Documents

File Name	Type	Description
Carr_Caldwell_1955.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

Carr, A., and D.K. Caldwell. 1956. The ecology and migrations of sea turtles. 1, Results of field work in Flroida, 1955. American Museum Novitates 1793:1-23.