Unraveling the Mysteries of the “Lost Years”

Nearly 70 years ago, famed sea turtle biologist Dr. Archie Carr coined the term the “lost years” to describe the poorly understood period of time after hatchling sea turtles depart their natal beaches until they return to nearshore waters or nesting beaches as adults. For decades, we knew precious little about where juvenile sea turtles go to grow up.

Upwell is developing and deploying new technologies to finally shed light on these mysteries. Since 2020, we have worked with Lotek on development of prototype micro-satellite tags. Weighing less than a penny and specifically designed to fit juvenile sea turtles, these tags enable Upwell researchers to track juvenile turtles’ earliest voyages. The tags transmit data on the turtles’ locations and environmental conditions as they travel. We are learning how young turtles navigate across ocean basins and the habitats they seek out. With these important pieces of the “lost years” puzzle, we can design conservation measures to protect juvenile sea turtles during this poorly understood life history stage.