Kayla Sargent
Where do you spend your lost years, little ...

In late October, a collaborative team of researchers from Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation and Upwell took a boat into the swift Agulhas Current, the southwest boundary current of the Indian Ocean that runs down the east coast of South Africa. There, they released 12 tiny loggerhead turtles with satellite tags attached to their carapace (top shells) in an effort to understand how these turtles are using this oceanic highway. See where these turtles have traveled over their first weeks in the ocean!

Where do you spend your lost years, little turtle?
Kayla Sargent
Diving Into Underwater Photography with Nuno ...

Nuno Vasco Rodrigues is a Marine Biologist and researcher at MARE IPLeiria. He was named “Conservation Photographer of the Year” by Ocean Geographic Society in 2021. For the past three years, Nuno has photographed Upwell’s work tagging juvenile loggerhead turtles in the Azores Archipelago in partnership with the COSTA Project and the University of the Azores, which is part of Upwell’s Lost Years Initiative. Nuno took some time to chat with us about the highlights and challenges of documenting sea turtle releases underwater. 

Diving Into Underwater Photography with Nuno Vasco Rodrigues
Kayla Sargent
Researcher Interview: Analyzing Data from ...

With a team of collaborators, we tested new specially-designed prototypes of Lotek microsatellite tags on 160 juvenile sea turtles of four species in the North Atlantic. The data from these tags was published in a new article, "Novel Microsatellite Tags Hold Promise for Illuminating the Lost Years in Four Sea Turtle Species." We sat down with lead-author Tony Candela to talk about this article, his process as lead-author, and the important implications of these findings for the bio-logging community.

Researcher Interview: Analyzing Data from Microsatellite Tags on Juvenile Sea Turtles
Bycatch, Sea Turtle Tracking
Kayla Sargent
Leatherback Saved by Fisher-Researcher ...

When fishermen and researchers collaborate, they create opportunities to amplify efforts for the research and conservation of sea turtles. This past spring, Upwell participated in these efforts by providing a satellite tag for Liam Neythan, a leatherback sea turtle that was saved in Sinaloa, Mexico. Our collaborators, the fishers Edmundo Rafael Garcías Burgos and Mariano García Olivas, as well as Dr. Alan Zavala Norzagaray and the CIIDIR IPN Unidad Sinaloa are the key collaborators and heroes in this story.

Leatherback Saved by Fisher-Researcher Collaboration in Sinaloa
Leatherbacks, Sea Turtle Monitoring, Protecting Endangered Lea
Kayla Sargent
Aerial Surveys Result in One-of-a-Kind Finds

Upwell Research Project Technician Sierra Fullmer shares some of her most exciting sightings while conducting aerial surveys to look for leatherbacks off of the US West Coast.

Aerial Surveys Result in One-of-a-Kind Finds

Endangered Sea Turtles

Saving East Pacific Leatherback Turtles from the Brink of Extinction

Saving East Pacific Leatherback Turtles from the Brink of Extinction

Concerned scientists, conservationists, and managers gathered in 2012 to discuss ways to stop the extinction of East Pacific leatherbacks; they formed a regional network called LaudOPO in 2015. This network has developed an Action Plan to address the two main threats to East Pacific leatherbacks: fisheries bycatch and egg loss or reduced hatchling recruitment at nesting beaches. Upwell is investigating active recovery techniques such as egg translocation and headstarting as options to complement LaudOPO’s conservation action plan.

How satellite tracking can help save endangered sea turtles

How satellite tracking can help save endangered sea turtles

Through satellite tracking data, we can identify critical inter-nesting, migration and foraging habitats throughout the migration range of East Pacific leatherbacks. This information is essential for leatherback conservation and more holistic transboundary management initiatives,

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The Plastic Effect: A first-hand account of how plastic is impacting sea turtles

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The Plastic Effect: A first-hand account of how plastic is impacting sea turtles

In 2015, Sean came face to face with one of the most insidious threats turtles face at sea: plastic. He was walking along Playa Ostional in Costa Rica with other sea turtle researchers when they spotted an olive ridley turtle with something protruding from its naris (more or less the word for a sea turtle’s nostril). As they approached the turtle, they discovered it was a piece of plastic.

Help save endangered sea turtles with your smartphone!

Help save endangered sea turtles with your smartphone!

It’s that simple. You can help sea turtle conservation efforts by downloading an app on your phone and recording your turtle sightings. Scientists use this valuable data to better understand sea turtle movements, in order to establish marine protected areas and conservation corridors that protect turtles at sea.