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Sea turtle strandings along a semiarid coast in the western equatorial Atlantic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2022

Zaíra M. Perazo Open the ORCID record for Zaíra M. Perazo [Opens in a new window] ,
Cibele C. Monteiro ,
Karoline Fernanda Ferreira Agostinho Open the ORCID record for Karoline Fernanda Ferreira Agostinho [Opens in a new window] ,
Vitor L. Carvalho ,
Letícia G. Pereira ,
Cinthya L. de Oliveira  and
Vicente Vieira Faria
Zaíra M. Perazo*
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Evolução e Conservação de Vertebrados Marinhos (EvolVe), Bloco 909, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil
Cibele C. Monteiro
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Evolução e Conservação de Vertebrados Marinhos (EvolVe), Bloco 909, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil
Karoline Fernanda Ferreira Agostinho
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais (LCA), Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brasil
Vitor L. Carvalho
Affiliation:
Associação de Pesquisa e Preservação de Ecossistemas Aquáticos – AQUASIS, Av. Pintor João Figueiredo, S/N, Caucaia, CE, Brasil
Letícia G. Pereira
Affiliation:
Associação de Pesquisa e Preservação de Ecossistemas Aquáticos – AQUASIS, Av. Pintor João Figueiredo, S/N, Caucaia, CE, Brasil
Cinthya L. de Oliveira
Affiliation:
Associação de Pesquisa e Preservação de Ecossistemas Aquáticos – AQUASIS, Av. Pintor João Figueiredo, S/N, Caucaia, CE, Brasil
Vicente Vieira Faria
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Evolução e Conservação de Vertebrados Marinhos (EvolVe), Bloco 909, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil
*
Author for correspondence: Zaíra M.Perazo, E-mail: zairaperazo@gmail.com
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Abstract

For decades, the Brazilian north-east coast has been a recognized feeding area for five sea turtle species. However, it still lacks information about stranding patterns. A decade of a beach monitoring programme (from 2010–2019) provided information on the composition, abundance and spatio-temporal distribution of stranded sea turtle species along a semiarid coast in the western equatorial Atlantic. A total of 905 individuals of four species were recorded in a route of ~130 km. The most stranded group was the juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas), followed by Lepidochelys olivacea, Eretmochelys imbricata and Caretta caretta. The strandings present a seasonal and geographic pattern, and therefore any conservation measure to be implemented must consider these patterns. Also, the possible occurrence of fibropapillomatosis tumours calls for additional studies to understand its causes. Lastly, stranded sea turtles eventually show marks of fishery interaction, which indicate the need for environmental education programmes with fishing communities.

Keywords

Brazilconservationstranding patternstestudines
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 101 , Issue 8 , December 2021 , pp. 1197 - 1201
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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