Nicaragua: Tracking Sea Turtles with Satellite Tags

Satellite Tracking in the Pearl Cays, Nicaragua

The WCS Nicaragua Sea Turtle Conservation Program and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are collaborating on a program to follow post-nesting hawksbill sea turtles from the Pearl Cays, Nicaragua rookery using satellite tracking devices.  The principal purpose is to determine their long range movements and identify important feeding areas of Caribbean hawksbill sea turtles.  In August this year WCS deployed the fifth transmitter on a female hawksbill (“Danshely”) from Pearl Cays, Nicaragua rookery.  The map below shows her daily movements since her release on 29 August 2004.  The deployment of the transmitter on Danshely was used as an opportunity to educate local Nicaraguans about sea turtles and their conservation needs.  See below for details and photos of the event.  A description of earlier satellite tracking results can be found at the bottom of the page.

Danshely

Danshely nested on Wild Cane Cay on 28 August 2004.  She was captured by WCS scientist Dr. Cathi Campbell with help from the WCS Youth Group of Pearl Lagoon.  The WCS Youth Group gave her the name Danshely based on letters from their own names. 

Danshely had been previously observed by WCS researchers in 2002 when she nested on Wild Cane Cay and was subsequently tagged that same year.  Approximately 40 local people from the Pearl Lagoon area observed the placement and deployment of a satellite transmitter on Danshely. 

The event was a great success with Danshely returning to the sea in the early afternoon with the cheering and support of the onlookers.  After being released she remained in the Pearl Cays area for more than 2 wks, presumably to renest.  She has now departed the Pearl Cays area and is heading off to her feeding grounds (see map above).

In 2000, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Sea Turtle Conservation Program in Nicaragua began their collaboration with the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to satellite track post-nesting hawksbills in the Caribbean. WCS initially received 3 transmitters that were deployed on hawksbills from the Pearl Cays, Nicaragua rookery (located off the central Caribbean coast, see map).  One transmitter was recovered (see MIDSI below), refurbished and redeployed in 2001 on a 4th hawksbill from the Pearl Cays rookery. Both deployment events were used as opportunities to educate local coastal inhabitants and government authorities in Nicaragua about sea turtles and their conservation needs.

Below are descriptions of each turtle deployed with a satellite tracking device.  As a result of this research we have identified at least two important feeding areas for hawksbills from the Pearl Cays rookery and have a better understanding of their migratory movements.

Shanna

"Shanna" was tagged and released on 2 August 2000 after nesting on Wild Cane Cay (see photo at right).  She arrived at her feeding area on 13 August 2000 (see map, approximately 143 km NE of the Pearl Cays) and remained there at least for the duration of her transmitters batteries, which stopped sending locations on 9 December 2001. 

More than 16 months of location data!  She returned to the Pearl Cays to nest in the summer of 2002 where she was seen on 10 August nesting on Grape Cay.  Her transmitter was still attached and was removed and returned to the National Marine Fisheries Service.  Unfortunately she was recaptured by turtle fishers in northern Nicaragua sometime after she left the Pearl Cays in 2002 and was probably killed.

Midsi

"Midsi" was named by a group of local high school students from Pearl Lagoon who witnessed her tagging and release on 3 August 2000 after she nested on Crawl Cay.  She remained in the Pearl Cays for a few more weeks and presumably nested again on one of the cays before she departed for her feeding grounds. 

She arrived at her feeding area on 17 September 2000 (see map, approximately 157 km NE of the Pearl Cays) and remained there until she was recaptured by a lobster diver on 2 March 2001. The diver removed her tags and transmitter, and then released her.  She returned to nest in the Pearl Cays in 2003 where she again nested on Crawl Cay (see photo above).  Fortunately she had a distinct scare on her shell and remnants of the resin that was used to attach her satellite transmitter which enabled us to identify and retag her.

Miss Pearl

"Miss Pearl" was tagged and released on 3 August 2000 after nesting on Crawl Cay.  She remained in the Pearl Cays for approximately another month, presumably laying two additional clutches before she departed the nesting grounds.  

She arrived at her feeding area on 24 September 2000 (see map, approximately 410 km NE of the Pearl Cays) where she remained at least until her transmitter stopped sending locations on 30 September 2001. 

She returned to nest in the Pearl Cays in 2003 and was observed nesting on Grape Cay on 25 July 2003. Her transmitter was still attached (see photo above), although barely hanging on!  The transmitter was removed and sent back to the NMFS.

Delancey

"Delancey" was named by another group of high school students from Pearl Lagoon who observed her tagging (see photo at right) and release on 18 August 2001 after she nested on Crawl Cay. 

She remained in the Pearl Cays until early September 2001. She arrived at her feeding area (see map, approximately 140 km NE of the Pearl Cays) on 17 September 2001, where we received location information until 31 December 2002.

In 2003, Delancey returned to the Pearl Cays where she was observed on two separate occasions, 5 & 28 August on Grape and Crawl Cays.