Pan-Atlantic leatherback turtle movements: Endangered species

The overall extent of habitat use by leatherback turtles in the North Atlantic, and hence their possible interactions with longline fisheries, is unknown. Here we use long-term satellite telemetry to reveal that leatherbacks range throughout the North Atlantic, indicating that closing limited areas...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 2004-06, Vol.429 (6991), p.522-522
Main Authors: Hays, Graeme C., Houghton, Jonathan D. R., Myers, Andrew E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
brief-communication
Humanities and Social Sciences
multidisciplinary
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
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Summary:The overall extent of habitat use by leatherback turtles in the North Atlantic, and hence their possible interactions with longline fisheries, is unknown. Here we use long-term satellite telemetry to reveal that leatherbacks range throughout the North Atlantic, indicating that closing limited areas to longline fisheries will probably have only partial success in reducing turtle bycatch. Although turtles dive very deeply on occasion (one descended to a maximum depth of 1,230 metres, which represents the deepest dive ever recorded for a reptile), they generally restrict their diving to less than 250 metres, which increases the chance that they will encounter longline hooks.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/429522a