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
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Leatherback Sea Turtles and Ecosystem Health in the California Current

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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.

Learning from sea turtle piggy-backers

Learning from sea turtle piggy-backers

Researchers collect barnacles from incidentally captured and stranded sea turtles to learn more about their habitat use. Live turtles are released directly into the sea following barnacle collection.

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Leatherbacks from above

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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.

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Leatherback Sea Turtles as Sentinels for Ocean Health

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Leatherback Sea Turtles as Sentinels for Ocean Health

How do you weigh an adult leatherback sea turtle often likened to the size of a Volkswagen Bug?! Upwell’s Wildlife Veterinarian, Dr. Heather Harris, shares her innovative approach to measure the health of leatherback sea turtles during her recent field study in Florida.

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.

Veterinarians apply diagnostic imaging tools for sea turtle conservation!

Veterinarians apply diagnostic imaging tools for sea turtle conservation!

Have you ever wondered how to tell whether an immature sea turtle is male or female? Or if an adult female sea turtle is preparing to lay eggs? Or whether a sea turtle with visible external fibropapilloma tumors also has hidden tumors on her internal organs? Or if she may suffer from gas bubble disease as a result of fisheries bycatch? The tools of diagnostic imaging can help answer all of these questions.

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Where do turtles go when they leave the nest? Upwell aims to find out.

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Where do turtles go when they leave the nest? Upwell aims to find out.

Little is known about a turtle’s life at sea. Conservation efforts and studies of sea turtles have largely focused on nesting beaches. Upwell aims to learn more about how sea turtles travel the oceans.  By understanding where they go and how they use different habitats, we can better advance protections for turtles at sea.

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.