AICM satellite tracked loggerhead sea turtles from Mozambique 2012 under SWIOFP

Original provider:Associação para Investigação Costeira e MarinhaDataset credits:Associação para Investigação Costeira e MarinhaInstitut Français pour L'Exploitation de la MerKéloniaAbstract:As part of Component 5 of the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Project (SWIOFP; http://www.swiofp.net), three Loggerhead turtles (named “Lurdes”, “Esperança” and “Mingas”) nesting at the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve (POPMR) were satellite tagged (Telonics Argos Marine Transmitters TAM-2639).The loggerhead turtles had contrasting migratory routes: Lurdes immediately initiated a near-shore northbound migration, travelling approximately 634 km (monitored distance) during the 15-day monitoring period and probably the turtle was poached, as the last signal from the tag was sent from 2 km inland next to a hut, closed to Baía dos Cocos in Inhambane Province, Mozambique. Mingas was monitored for 73 days and similarly traveled along the coast, all the way to Mozambique Island and across the Mozambique Channel to the NE coast of Madagascar, traversing 3,270 km (ca 2,025 km straight distance).Finally, Esperança was tracked for 2,608 km during 187 days. This turtle travelled along the coast approximately 250 km north (straight distance) of the nesting beach and reached, what is believed to be her feeding grounds on the Mozambique coast between Macaneta and Xai-Xai. This results shows that despite being protected nationally and internationally, poaching is still a serious threat to the conservation of marine turtles in Mozambique (and in the region), which warrants further efforts for their protection.