The Yucatan Peninsula harbors the largest nesting population of hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata in the Atlantic Basin. In Mexico, one of the most significant conservation problems for this species is the lack of knowledge on migratory patterns and the location of feeding grounds for post-nesting hawksbill females. The main goal of this study was to gather information on the hawksbill's migratory patterns and the location of their feeding grounds by tracking 3 post-nesting females from Campeche state, Mexico. We attached satellite transmitters and tracked the 3 turtles for 166, 446 and 510 d, respectively. The turtles remained within Mexican territorial waters, reaching separate foraging grounds off the coast of Campeche and in the Mexican Caribbean. No significant relationships were observed between turtles' migrating behavior and sea-surface temperature or geostrophic currents. Spatial analysis of the data recorded in this study has generated novel information on hawksbill turtle migratory patterns and feeding grounds, which will aid in decisionmaking for hawksbill turtle conservation in the Yucatan Peninsula.

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From the 32 worldwide post nesting Chelonia mydas sub populations 2 are found in the Mexican Coasts, one of them in Michoacan (Pacific Ocean) and the other in the Yucatán Peninsula (Atlantic Ocean). Lack of information about migration patterns, home ranges and anthropogenic interaction are factors that contribute to the int rinsic vulnerability of C. mydas populations anywhere around the world. The objective of this investigation was to identify migration routes and critical marine habitats for post nesting C. mydas individuals in the Yucatán Peninsula. Between June 2011 and January 2012 4 C. mydas post nesting individuals were tracked using satellite telemetry, 2 of them from continental beaches and the other 2 from insular ones. A geographic information system was used to integrate the collected information and used to identify migration routes for C. mydas as well as to estimate their home ranges. Three turtles moved and remained over the marine platform in the Banco de Campeche in Mexican territory, while one of the turtles migrated outside Mexican waters to Dry Tortuga (Florida, USA). The home ranges areas used by nesting females in continental beaches were significantly larger and further from the coast compared to those registered for females tracked from insular beaches. Based on the results we recommend management strategies planning for conservation of C. mydas in the Yucatán Peninsula.

In the Gulf of Mexico, the bulk of published studies for sea turtles have focused on northern (United States) waters where economic resources are centered, with fewer studies in the southern portion of the basin, resulting in significant knowledge gaps in these underrepresented areas. Similarly, publications on adult sea turtles are dominated by research on females that come ashore to nest and can be readily studied (e.g., through the collection of biological samples and the application of satellite-telemetry devices), whereas information on adult male sea turtles is scarce. The goal of this paper is to begin filling these knowledge gaps by synthesizing available data on adult male sea turtles in the southern Gulf of Mexico. We used satellite-telemetry, boat- and drone-based surveys, and stranding records combined with ocean circulation modeling to better understand the spatial distribution of male loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), and Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles in the southern Gulf of Mexico. These spatially explicit analyses will provide context for opportunistically collected data on male sea turtles and better contribute to the management and restoration of sea turtle populations that use the Gulf of Mexico. Moreover, this synthesis can serve as a launching point for directed studies on male sea turtles in this region.