After being released, Darwin, along with other turtles named after European scientists, had remarkable tag transmission durations. Archimede and Nicolas Copernic’s tags continued to transmit for an astounding 334 and 311 days respectively, breaking the previous record of 188 days set by Peniche, a loggerhead released in the Azores in 2021.
In June, Upwell Executive Director Dr.George Shillinger joined our collaborators at Aquarium La Rochelle to tag and release nine more rehabilitated juvenile turtles. With a larger sample size, we can generate more robust statistics and develop stronger hypotheses. By integrating environmental datasets, we can examine correlations between turtle movements (both horizontal and vertical) and factors such as sea surface temperature, productivity levels, chlorophyll concentrations, current speed, sea surface height or bathymetry.
the tracking data provides rare insight into the “Lost Years” of juvenile loggerheads – the time they spend foraging and growing at sea (up to 15 years). This facts is crucial for calibrating various models that can help us predict their habitat use or even population trends – models that aim to support effective conservation efforts.
Excited to see what Ings has in store for us this year!