Buck Island Turtles

https://doi.org/10.82144/2426c0bb https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/782 https://www.gbif.org/dataset/0a0f59e4-46ef-4368-ae6c-032c8e857648 https://obis.org/dataset/d1acb2c3-e9a7-4e8e-89a0-c0940de3e9ea Buck Island Turtles Kristen Hart USGS Greater Everglades Sea Turtles Primary contact kristen_hart@usgs.gov OBIS-SEAMAP Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University

A328 LSRC building Durham NC 27708 US

seamap-contact@duke.edu https://seamap.env.duke.edu OBIS-SEAMAP Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University

A328 LSRC building Durham NC 27708 US

seamap-contact@duke.edu https://seamap.env.duke.edu distributor Kristen Hart USGS Greater Everglades Sea Turtles Primary contact kristen_hart@usgs.gov owner Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool seaturtle.org mcoyne@seaturtle.org http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/ originator 2025-07-31 eng Original provider: USGS Dataset credits: Data provider USGS Greater Everglades Sea Turtles Originating data center <a href='http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/' target='_blank'>Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT)</a> Abstract: Buck Island Reef National Monument (BIRNM), a marine protected area located in the US Virgin Islands, is a crucial nesting area for endangered hawksbills, green turtles, leatherback turtles, and loggerheads. Since the recent expansion of the USVI marine protected area at BIRNM, newly included areas have not yet been investigated for sea turtle habitat use. Thus, we are conducting a sea turtle tagging and tracking project to quantify real-time habitat-use of sea turtles within and around BIRNM. We capture reproductive females on nesting beaches and perform a standard workup procedure on each one, including marking each turtle with internal PIT tags and taking standard measurements, blood samples, photographs, and a biopsy punch for isotope (diet) analysis. We are using these data sets to determine whether current BIRNM boundaries encompass habitats most preferred by sea turtles, determine connections between turtles at BIRNM and other protected areas, identify core areas of turtle use, and quantify time spent in and around BIRNM. Our research addresses specific Recovery Objectives outlined in the Federal Recovery Plans for multiple protected species. Our data can be used as the basis for future adaptive management of BIRNM boundaries and also assist in nesting beach surveys conducted by National Park Service (NPS). We received financial support from NPS and USGS, and substantial in-kind support from NPS, without which this project would not have been possible. In a concurrent study, we deployed an array of 19 acoustic receivers within BIRNM to identify patterns of habitat use for nesting females and turtles captured in the water; an overarching goal of that project is to determine which areas of BIRNM turtles use most often. The NPS and other university colleagues (UMass, UVI) have initiated additional BIRNM acoustic tracking projects, which have substantially augmented and expanded our existing array of receivers to extend past BIRNM borders. We have been maintaining our receivers while collaborating with NPS and other colleagues to get the most out of the expanding array of receivers in the region. By doing so, we can identify core areas of use by all turtles (by species and life stage) and determine the amount of time spent within and outside of the BIRNM. Marine Biology Telemetry Tagged animal N/A <a href='http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?project_id=663' target='_new'>Visit STAT's project page</a> for additional information. The access to this work requires permission. https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/782 Oceans -111.062 -29.621 26.176 8.335 2011-08-23 2020-02-04 Scientific names are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). species Caretta caretta Loggerhead sea turtle species Chelonia mydas Green sea turtle species Eretmochelys imbricata Hawksbill sea turtle asNeeded Kristen Hart USGS Greater Everglades Sea Turtles Primary contact kristen_hart@usgs.gov NA NA NA Buck Island Turtles Kristen Hart owner NA zd_782 2025-07-31T15:33:22-04:00 dataset Hart K. 2025. Buck Island Turtles. 1.0.0. Dataset published in OBIS-SEAMAP and originated from Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT; http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?project_id=663). https://doi.org/10.82144/2426c0bb. OBIS-SEAMAP Dataset Page UTF-8 Interactive map https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/782 FGDC Metadata UTF-8 XML https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/782/fgdc EML Metadata UTF-8 XML https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/782/eml STAT Project Page UTF-8 Original web site http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?project_id=663 OBIS-SEAMAP zd_782 zd_782 Coyne, M. S., and B. J. Godley. 2005. Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT): an integrated system for archiving, analyzing and mapping animal tracking data. Marine Ecology Progress Series: Vol. 301: 1-7.