Upwell Researcher Derek Aoki shares his work exploring exploring the potential of passive acoustic monitoring for leatherbacks in the Northwest Atlantic.
AMP, Migravías, y otras formas de proteger a las especies marinas migratorias
A principios de 2024, la ONU publicó el primer Reporte del Estatus de las Especies Migratorias, lo cual indicó que un 50% de las especies migratorias del mundo están en declive. Esta noticia, aunque devastadora, no es sorprendente. La protección de las especies migratorias es particularmente difícil dado al hecho de que siempre están en movimiento y la mayoría de métodos de conservación suelen ser fijos.
Researcher Interview: Analyzing Data from Microsatellite Tags on Juvenile Sea Turtles
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.
Trans-Atlantic Collaboration Tracks Turtles into their Lost Years
Upwell’s efforts to learn more about the lives of juvenile loggerheads in the Atlantic expanded from Florida to the Azores, and now, to South Africa. Through a new collaboration with the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, Upwell Executive Director Dr. George Shillinger traveled to Cape Town for the tagging and release of rehabilitated juvenile loggerhead sea turtles. The Two Oceans Aquarium Foundations' Conservation Manager, Talitha Noble, wrote this post to provide some insights on why learning more the movements of young loggerheads at this juncture between two oceans is so important.
Leatherback Saved by Fisher-Researcher Collaboration in Sinaloa
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.
Tortuga laúd salvada a través de la colaboración entre pescadores e investigadores en Sinaloa
Cuando pescadores e investigadores colaboran se crean oportunidades para unir y amplificar esfuerzos orientados a la investigación y conservación de las tortugas marinas. Durante la primavera pasada, Upwell participó en estos esfuerzos proporcionando una etiqueta satelital para Liam Neythan, una tortuga laúd que fue salvada en Sinaloa, México. Nuestros colaboradores, los pescadores Edmundo Rafael Garcías Burgos y Mariano García Olivas, así como el Dr. Alan Zavala Norzagaray y el CIIDIR IPN Unidad Sinaloa fueron los protagonistas de esta historia.
How Does Upwelling Bring Leatherbacks to the US West Coast?
Coastal upwelling ecosystems (like the one on the US West Coast) are some of the most productive ecosystems worldwide. They support many of the world's most important fisheries and attract marine megafauna like leatherbacks from across the ocean. This blog gives a quick overview of how upwelling works and why it brings leatherbacks to our waters.
Algorithm Magic: Predicting Leatherback Presence in the California Current
Nerea Lezama-Ochoa is a marine biologist working as a UCSC project scientist at the NOAA Environmental Science Division in Monterey. Her team is producing daily projections of suitable habitat for 10 highly migratory species (including leatherback sea turtles). Read Nerea’s blog about how these projections are created with accuracy and why they are helpful to conservation efforts.
Aerial Surveys Result in One-of-a-Kind Finds
Following Tiny Turtles at Sea Part II: Tag Deployment
As you may have read about in our previous blog, Upwell developed prototype micro-satellite that are lighter than a penny to follow juvenile turtles at sea and learn more about the life phase known as the Lost Years. This data helps us to piece together the various routes juvenile turtles of different species and populations follow as they cross ocean basins for the first time. Read part two of our “Following Tiny Turtles at Sea” blog post to learn about how we release tagged turtles and plan to mobilize the data we collect.