Tampa Bay

Project Type(s):sighting, capture

Site Name:Tampa Bay

Site Reference Number:9

Region(s):Southwest, Northwest

Counties:Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas

Approximate Latitude: 27.73 Approximate Longitude: -82.65

Principal Investigator(s):Foley, Allen; Meylan, Anne

Point(s) of Contact:Meylan, Anne - Phone Number: (727) 896-8626, Email: Anne.Meylan@MyFWC.com

Organizations Involved:Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission - Fish & Wildlife Research Institute

Organization Type(s):state agency

Project Status: Inactive

Start Date: 10/1993

End Date: 6/1998

General Method(s) Used:boat survey, set net, trawl

	Visual	Capture
Sampling regime:	unknown	unknown
Measure of effort:	obs/distance	unknown

Bottom Type(s):mud, sand, seagrass

Water Type Zone: neritic Water Type Environment: estuarine-marine

Min. Depth (m): Max. Depth (m): 15.7

Mean Depth (m): 3.7

Species	No. of Captures	No. of Sightings	Min Size* (cm)	Max Size* (cm)	Mean Size* (cm)	FP Observed	Life Stages**	Comments
Green Turtle (Cm)	0	0	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Loggerhead (Cc)	2	1	89.6 SCLmin	97.4 SCLmin	93.5 SCLmin	No	A
Kemp's Ridley (Lk)	0	2	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Hawksbill (Ei)	0	0	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Leatherback (Dc)	0	0	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Unidentified	n/a	10	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.

FWRI staff conducted visual surveys and set tangle nets for marine turtles between 1993 and 1997. Trawl netting was used to sample for turtles in May and June of 1995. Thirty 30-minute paired tows yielded only a single loggerhead. This compilation of data suggests that marine turtles are relatively inconspicuous in Tampa Bay. Although only two species were found in this study, four species have been reported in the bay: loggerheads, Kemp’s ridleys, green turtles, and hawksbills (in order of decreasing abundance). It appears that ridleys and loggerheads may be year-round residents. The bay supports a range of life stages: neritic juveniles, subadults, and adults (including nesting female loggerheads). Historical data suggest marine turtle populations were more robust prior to pressures from the turtle fishery.

No documents uploaded.

Meylan, A., et al. 1999. Sea turtles in Tampa Bay, Florida. In: Pribble, J.R., et al. (eds.). Baywide Environmental Monitoring Report, 1993-1998, Tampa Bay, Florida. Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Tech. Publ. #07-99, 13-1 to 13-15.

Meylan, A., et al. 2003. Sea turtles in Tampa Bay, Florida. In: Pribble, J.R., et al. (eds.). Baywide Environmental Monitoring Report, 1998-2001, Tampa Bay, Florida. Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Tech. Publ. #07-99, 13-1 to 13-15.