Leatherbacks

Novel tracking technology sheds light on leatherback “lost years”

Novel tracking technology sheds light on leatherback “lost years”

New technologies are finally shedding light on one of the greatest mysteries in sea turtle biology. Using prototype “micro-satellite” tags specifically designed to fit juvenile leatherback turtles, Upwell and Florida Atlantic University researchers released eighteen captive reared juvenile leatherbacks to track their movements off the coast of Florida and shed light on the “lost years” phase of their lives.

3D Modeling Enhances Understanding of Leatherbacks

3D Modeling Enhances Understanding of Leatherbacks

Upwell partnered with The Digital Life Project and Amherst University to create an open source 3D rendering of a hatchling leatherback sea turtle. The value of the rendering of real animals for science, conservation, education, virtual reality and storytelling should not be underestimated.

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.

Welcoming back California's leatherbacks

Welcoming back California's leatherbacks

Learn about the female turtle tagged by NOAA and Upwell in 2020 whose transmitter is still reporting. She was tagged in September 2019, and she returned to same area where she was tagged in the Gulf of the Farallones this year on 31 July 2020. It’s exciting when we see one of these movement records close the loop! Additional leatherback sightings in the Monterey Bay have been reported recently.

Studying Turtles at Sea Offers Deeper Insights

Studying Turtles at Sea Offers Deeper Insights

Data collected at nesting beaches give us only a brief glimpse into sea turtles’ intricate life histories. Satellite tags are one of the best tools available to collect data on sea turtle movements and behaviors in marine habitats. But where tags are deployed matters. Deploying tags at nesting beaches means we are limiting our research scope to the females within a population that are nesting in a given year.

Discovering the Origins of Leatherbacks in the California Current

Discovering the Origins of Leatherbacks in the California Current

At the turn of the millennium, the origin of leatherback turtles in California waters was unproven. Many assumed they originated from nesting beaches in Mexico or Costa Rica; few could have imagined the extent of their travels across the entire Pacific Ocean. We know now that West Pacific leatherbacks only make their epic trans-Pacific migration about every three to five years. Unfortunately, the batteries on early satellite tags didn’t last long enough to track their whole migration.

Saving Sea Turtles with Technology

Saving Sea Turtles with Technology

You might not think of someone behind a desk as working on the frontlines of sea turtle conservation, but Upwell’s Oceanographic Researcher, Tony Candela is doing just that. Tony is incorporating mathematics and oceanography to simulate the movements of hatchling and juvenile sea turtles to advance protections for them at sea.

Upwell Featured in Carmel Magazine

Upwell Featured in Carmel Magazine

Upwell’s work to protect turtles at sea was featured in the latest edition of Carmel Magazine. Check out the article below to learn more about leatherback sea turtles and what we are doing to protect them.

Leatherback Sea Turtles and Ecosystem Health in the California Current

Leatherback Sea Turtles and Ecosystem Health in the California Current

Evaluating sea turtle health off the coast of Central California can tell us about environmental factors that pose threats not only to sea turtles but to the broader marine community.

Leatherbacks from above

Leatherbacks from above

The leatherbacks have returned to the central California coast! In partnership with NOAA, Upwell is conducting aerial surveys to locate critically endangered leatherback turtles in California's waters. Learn more about graduate student, Sharon Hsu's first-hand experience as an Upwell Observer aboard these flights.