Department of Earth and Biological Sciences

Faculty - Stephen G. Dunbar

Turtle Awareness and Protection Studies (TAPS), Bay Islands, Honduras

Co-PI, Joe Breman (ESRI), Redlands, CA.

Throughout their respective ranges the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is listed as Endangered and the hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) has been designated as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

The global population of hawksbills has declined as much as 80 percent in the last 105 years, with declines projected to continue over the next 100 years. It is surprising that so few studies have focused on this species over the past 50 years of scientific monitoring of marine turtles. This is especially true in the Central American country of Honduras.

Our TAPS seek to increase awareness and understanding of juvenile hawksbill and green sea turtles in Honduran waters initially by documenting the movements, habitat usage, and migratory onset of a cohort of turtles 'reclaimed' from local area fishermen by tagging then mapping their locations as they move through the water column and across the sea surface.

We are especially thankful to Larry and Carol Stevenson, owners of the Reef House Resort, for their generous 'in-kind' and logistical support of the project, the support of their staff, and their care and concern for these endangered animals. Their support staff and guests are also integral parts of this project, as are the local community and people such as Karla Ventura (PMAIB) and Romeo Silvestri (Roatan Tourism Chamber of Commerce).

Thanks to Lindsey Kelly for giving up part of her holidays in March 2006 to help with the project and take photographs, and to David Kirkwood and Leonardo Rodriguez who assisted with turtle and data collection.

Left: A view of the turtle pool at the Reef House Resort where turtles are temporarily held for data collection and tagging before being released;
Right: Leonardo bringing in a juvenile hawksbill for measurements.

Larry and Steve weigh a turtle as David holds him steady.
Left: David placing a turtle on the scale;
Right: Larry (L) and Steve (R) record a weight of 68.04 Kg for "Bine" as David holds this juvenile green turtle steady.

During March 2006 we weighed, measured, and photographed a total of 25 juveniles of which 21 were hawksbills and 4 were greens. During this initial trip, each animal received a name and ID number that was painted on the shell. We plan to return in June 2006 to re-weigh, re-measure, and flipper tag each individual before releasing them back into the wild. We also plan to satellite tag some individuals at that time so that tracking can begin.

Green turtle
Left: A beautiful little green we named "Belle"; Right: Hawksbill portrait.

Left: Steve about to release a little hawksbill back into the holding pool;
Right: "Brutus" is currently the largest of the juvenile hawksbills we've collected, weighing in at 16.19 Kg.

Left: After weighing and measuring, a hawksbill darts away as Larry Stevenson releases it back into the holding pool;
Right: A healthy young hawksbill is temporarily safe within the holding pool.

With the involvement of local communities, non-governmental organizations (NGO), visitors to Honduras, and people who want to help marine turtles, we hope that our TAPS will result in greater awareness and understanding of the life histories and habitat use of these species, as well as improve their chances of survival throughout their ranges.

Hawksbill hatchling
Left: This little hatchling we named "Junior" is evidence that female hawksbills are nesting on local area beaches;
Right: Our dedicated assistant, Lindsey Kelly.

S. Dunbar
Stephen G. Dunbar's homepage

Sea Turtle Adoption homepage

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