1.Spatio-temporal distribution and anthropogenic mortality factors were investigated in loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) found stranded or floating in the waters around Italy. A total of 5938 records for the period 1980-2008 were analysed concerning loggerhead turtles measuring from 3.8 to 97 cm curved carapace length (mean: 48.3 cm).2.Results highlighted the following conservation issues: (i) in the study area, anthropogenic mortality is higher than natural mortality; (ii) interaction with fisheries is by far the most important anthropogenic mortality factor; (iii) longlines are an important mortality factor in the southern areas; (iv) trawlers are the cause of high numbers of dead strandings in the north Adriatic; (v) entanglement in ghost-gear or in other anthropogenic debris affects high numbers of turtles; and (vi) boat strikes are an important source of mortality in most areas but mostly in the warm seasons.3.Results also indicate that: (vii) the north Adriatic is the area with the highest turtle density; and (viii) the south Adriatic and to a lesser extent the surrounding areas of the north Adriatic and the Ionian, are important developmental areas for loggerhead turtles in the first years of life.4.Italy is in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea and borders major foraging areas for the loggerhead turtles in the region, and these results confirm previous concerns about the level of anthropogenic mortality in Italian waters. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Sea turtle tagging carried out in Italy in the period 1981-2006 resulted in 125 re-encounters of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) after a mean of 2.5 years, from different marine areas in the Mediterranean. At first finding, turtles ranged 25-83 cm of curved carapace length. Data were analyzed according to size, area, habitat type, season, in order to provide indication of movement patterns. When integrated with other information, results indicate that: (1) a part of turtles in the oceanic stage show a nomad behavior with movements among different oceanic areas; (2) another part show fidelity to an oceanic area; (3) turtles in the neritic stage show fidelity to neritic areas, and once settled to one area, change to other neritic areas is unlikely; (4) nomad oceanic turtles are significantly larger than sedentary ones, and also larger than turtles found in neritic areas; it is hypothesized that these could be Atlantic turtles that eventually leave the Mediterranean; (5) ecological transition from oceanic to neritic habitats occurs at a wide range of sizes, and some turtles may have a very brief oceanic stage; (6) turtles in the oceanic stage are more likely to recruit to neritic areas close to their oceanic areas than to distant ones; (7) part of turtles from some Mediterranean nesting beaches might frequent a relatively limited area range, including both oceanic and neritic areas; (8) in most of the Mediterranean, latitudinal seasonal migrations are unlikely. A general model of movement patterns of loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean is proposed. © 2007 Springer-Verlag

Knowledge about migratory routes and highly frequented areas is a priority for sea turtle conservation, but the movement patterns of juveniles frequenting the Adriatic have not been investigated yet, although juveniles represent the bulk of populations. We tracked by satellite six juvenile and one adult female loggerhead from the north Adriatic. The results indicated that loggerhead juveniles (1) can either show a residential behaviour remaining in the Adriatic throughout the year or perform seasonal migrations to other areas, (2) can remain even in the coldest, northernmost area during winter, (3) can frequent relatively small foraging areas, (4) mostly frequent the eastern part of the Adriatic, and (5) follow preferred migratory routes along the western and eastern Adriatic coasts. The movements of the adult turtle also revealed (6) a behavioural polymorphism in Mediterranean adults, which included a lack of area fidelity and connection between distant neritic foraging grounds

sUMMarY: growth rates of the juvenile phase of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) were estimated for the first time in the Mediterranean sea from capture-mark-recapture records. thirty-eight turtles were released from italian coasts and re-encountered after 1.0-10.9 years in the period 1986-2007. their mean CCl (curved carapace length) ranged from 32.5 to 82.0 cm and they showed variable growth rates, ranging from 0 to 5.97 cm/yr (mean: 2.5). the association between annual growth rate and three covariates (mean year, mean size and time interval) was investigated through a non-parametric modelling approach. only mean size showed a clear effect on growth rate, described by a monotonic declining curve. Variability indicates that factors not included in the model, probably individual-related ones, have an important effect on growth rates. based on the monotonic decreasing growth function which indicates no growth spurt, a von bertalanffy growth function was used to estimate the time required by turtles to grow within the observed size range. the results indicate that turtles would take 16-28 years to reach 66.5-84.7 cm CCl, the average nesting female sizes observed at the most important Mediterranean nesting sites, which can be considered an approximation of the size at maturity.Keywords: loggerhead sea turtle, growth rate, capture-mark-recapture, Mediterranean.resUMen: Tasas de crecimiento y talla a la edad adulta de la tortuga boba (Caretta Caretta) en el mar Mediterráneo, estimada a través de registros de captura-marcaje-recaptura. -a partir de registros de capturamarcaje-recaptura, se estimaron por primera vez en el Mediterráneo las tasas de crecimiento de las fases juveniles de la tortuga boba (Caretta caretta). se liberaron treinta y ocho tortugas a partir de la costa italiana y se reencontraron después de 1.0-10.9 años en el periodo 1986-2007. el promedio de lCC (longitud curvada del caparazón) varió de 32.5 a 82.0 cm y se observaron tasas de crecimiento variables, de 0 a 5.97 cm/año (promedio: 2.5). la asociación entre la tasa de crecimiento anual y tres covariables (año promedio, talla promedio e intervalo de tiempo) se investigó a través de un modelo no-paramétrico. solamente la talla media mostró un claro efecto en la tasa de crecimiento, descrito por una curva monotónica descendente. la variabilidad observada indica que factores no incluidos en el modelo, probablemente relacionados con el individuo, tienen un importante efecto en las tasas de crecimiento. en base a la función de crecimiento monotónicamente decreciente que indica que no hay esfuerzo en el crecimiento, se uso una función de crecimiento de von bertalanffy para estimar el tiempo requerido por las tortugas para crecer dentro del rango de tallas observado. los resultados indican que las tortugas necesitarán de 16-28 años para alcanzar 66.5-84.7 cm lCC, la talla promedio de anidación observada en las más importantes áreas de anidación del Mediterráneo, lo que puede ser considerado como una aproximación a la talla de madurez.Palabras clave: to...

By-catch is one of the main sources of anthropogenic mortality in marine species of conservation concern worldwide. Between 2006 and 2008, the Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CoNISMa) coordinated a monitoring programme of cetacean by-catch in Italian pelagic trawlers, funded in compliance with European Regulation 812/2004. Sixteen independent observers monitored a total of 3141 hauls. The observation coverage ranged between 0.9 and 6.3% of the regional fishing effort. Almost all by-catch events were recorded in the northern Adriatic Sea. By-catch rates of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) were 0.0006 and 0.0255 individuals per haul, respectively. Given the low number of observed deaths, reliable estimates of total mortality for these two species were not obtained. The annual number of by-caught turtles was 863 (CV=0.15), with 99% released alive. A ‘hotspot’ for turtle captures was found off Goro (south Venice). The existence of lethal interactions makes it important to understand whether the scale of this mortality is sufficient to pose a threat at population level. Finally, annual by-catch estimates for rays and sharks were 5436 (CV=0.08) and 5414 (CV=0.15), respectively. Thintail threshers (Alopias vulpinus), piked dogfish (Squalus acanthias) and smooth-hounds (Mustelus mustelus), which are both commercial and vulnerable to overfishing, were taken in large numbers