Although sea turtles have received substantial focus worldwide, research on the immature life stages is still relatively limited. The latter is of particular importance, given that a large proportion of sea turtle populations comprises immature individuals. We set out to identify knowledge gaps and identify the main barriers hindering research in this field. We analyzed the perceptions of sea turtle experts through an online survey which gathered their opinions on the current state of affairs on immature sea turtle research, including species and regions in need of further study, priority research questions, and barriers that have interfered with the advancement of research. Our gap analysis indicates that studies on immature leatherback Dermochelys coriacea and hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata turtles are lacking, as are studies on all species based in the Indian, South Pacific, and South Atlantic Oceans. Experts also perceived that studies in population ecology, namely on survivorship and demography, and habitat use/behavior, are needed to advance the state of knowledge on immature sea turtles. Our survey findings indicate the need for more interdisciplinary research, collaborative efforts (e.g. data-sharing, joint field activities), and improved communication among researchers, funding bodies, stakeholders, and decision-makers.

contributions to different foraging regions from 2007 to 2012. Foraging regions significantly influenced female body size and fecundity. Loggerheads foraging southeast of the nesting beach in the vicinity of the Bahamas and Florida Keys laid larger clutches and had a shorter breeding frequency. On average, 47 % (±3 % SE) of the females foraged year-round in this area, while 33 % (±4 % SE) resided on the Southwest Florida continental shelf south of Tampa Bay and 18 % (±2 % SE) undertook seasonal migrations and foraged north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Relative contributions to the foraging areas did not change over the 6-year period. The northern foraging area consistently contributed the fewest females despite being the most productive oceanographic region suggesting a trade-off between foraging area productivity and distance to the nesting beach. We reaffirm that the isotopic approach can be used to interpret trends in abundance at nesting beaches and demographic parameters affecting those trends. Understanding geospatial linkages and relative importance of foraging areas is critical to fostering appropriate management and conservation strategies for migratory species.

Loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta have been listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act since 1978, and a change in their listing status to endangered was recently under consideration. Estimates of adult population size are needed to evaluate population status, but include a number of uncertainties. A point estimate of loggerhead population size based on a nest count fails to convey the range of our uncertainty in the estimated number of individuals in a population. We developed distributions of adult female loggerhead subpopulation sizes for 5 subpopulations of the western North Atlantic, and for the western North Atlantic population as a whole. Distributions were derived by re-sampling from available nest counts (2001−2010) and data on breeding interval, survival and clutch frequency, each affecting the extrapolation of nest numbers to adult females. Our best estimate for the western North Atlantic adult female loggerhead population was 38 334 (SD = 2287) adult females. Confidence limits on estimates for the individual subpopulations ranged from a high of 45 058 adult females for Peninsular Florida to a low of 258 adult females in the Dry Tortugas. To reduce uncertainty in population estimates, research needs to focus on quantifying breeding interval and clutch frequency, especially in the less-studied subpopulations.

Abstract. Stable isotope analysis can be used to infer geospatial linkages of highly migratory species.Identifying foraging grounds of marine organisms from their isotopic signatures is becoming de rigueur as it has been with terrestrial organisms. Sea turtles are being increasingly studied using a combination of satellite telemetry and stable isotope analysis; these studies along with those from other charismatic, highly vagile, and widely distributed species (e.g., tuna, billfish, sharks, dolphins, whales) have the potential to yield large datasets to develop methodologies to decipher migratory pathways in the marine realm. We collected tissue samples (epidermis and red blood cells) for carbon (d 13 C) and nitrogen (d 15 N) stable isotope analysis from 214 individual loggerheads (Caretta caretta) in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean (NWA). We used discriminant function analysis (DFA) to examine how well d 13 C and d 15 N classify loggerhead foraging areas. The DFA model was derived from isotopic signatures of 58 loggerheads equipped with satellite tags to identify foraging locations. We assessed model accuracy with the remaining 156 untracked loggerheads that were captured at their foraging locations. The DFA model correctly identified the foraging ground of 93.0% of individuals with a probability greater than 66.7%. The results of the external validation (1) confirm that assignment models based on tracked loggerheads in the NWA are robust and (2) provide the first independent evidence supporting the use of these models for migratory marine organisms. Additionally, we used these data to generate loggerhead-specific d 13 C and d 15 N isoscapes, the first for a predator in the Atlantic Ocean. We found a latitudinal trend of