Archie Carr Refuge Loggerhead Tracking

In 2008, the Sea Turtle Conservancy and the University of Central Florida (UCF) began an inaugural sea turtle research and conservation project to study the migration patterns of threatened loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting in and near the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge on the central east coast of Florida. The study will reveal important information about the turtle’s migratory behavior, including migratory routes, foraging grounds, and the areas of potential conflict with commercial fisheries. This critical information will enhance the ability of resource managers and conservationists in their efforts to protect loggerheads, both in U.S. waters and through international conservation efforts.

In 2010, UCF, through funding from the Sea Turtle Grants Program, attached GPS satellite transmitters to nesting females loggerheads as part of an investigate of reproductive parameters, movements and feeding habits of nesting loggerheads. The information gained from this study will improve estimates of adult nesting population size, identify movement patterns and expand the knowledge on feeding ecology.

Educational migration maps will show the best location points of the turtle’s movements and locations. This will allow interested persons all over the world to watch along as researchers discover where the sea turtles travel after nesting. Through STC’s online educational program, the public is invited to watch along on the Internet as we learn more about these amazing animals.