Distribution and Strandings of Endangered Sea Turtles in Korean Waters

Abstract

This paper reports the strandings of sea turtles on Korean shores monitored for the first time in 2008. A total of 19 sea turtles, consisting of 12 greens and 7 loggerheads, were recorded as stranded from the east coast to the south including Jeju Island. Reported strandings reached a peak in July and dominant area was Jeju Island. The curved carapace length of loggerhead sea turtles ranged 65-84.2cm and that of green sea turtles ranged 39.2-90cm, indicating most of them were immature to sub-adult. Out of 19 turtles, 11 were found dead with unknown reasons. Possible causes of death may include drawning by fishing gear, swallowing of marine debris, boat collision, and diseases. An immature green sea turtle tagged with a satellite transmitter spent winter near Jeju Island where it was released, suggesting that the Island provide immature greens a feeding ground. Considering thousands of sea turtles crawl on Japanese shores for nesting every year, the number of sea turtles reported in Korean waters was relatively small. Therefore, it is suggested that an appropriate monitoring system be necessary to protect and conserve endangered sea turtle species in Korean waters.

Barnacle Epibiosis on Sea Turtles in Korea: A West Pacific Region With Low Occurrence and Intensity of Chelonibia testudinaria (Cirripedia: Chelonibiidae)

“…Another study investigating Korean green turtles (Moon et al, 2009) presented a photograph of a wild turtle carrying a single barnacle on its carapace. Although the specimen was identified as a Balanus species, the photograph clearly indicates that the taxon in question was C. testudinaria (refer to Figure 8 in Moon et al, 2009).…”

“…Another study investigating Korean green turtles (Moon et al, 2009) presented a photograph of a wild turtle carrying a single barnacle on its carapace. Although the specimen was identified as a Balanus species, the photograph clearly indicates that the taxon in question was C. testudinaria (refer to Figure 8 in Moon et al, 2009). Observations made by us over the years (the personal observations of Y. N. Choi, C. Yi, I.-H. Kim, and Y. N. Choi), as well as photographs provided by other authors (Moon et al, 2009;Kim et al, 2017Kim et al, , 2019Kim I. H. et al, 2020), suggest that green turtles in Korea (but also hawksbills and olive ridleys) rarely carry any barnacles.…”

“…Although the specimen was identified as a Balanus species, the photograph clearly indicates that the taxon in question was C. testudinaria (refer to Figure 8 in Moon et al, 2009). Observations made by us over the years (the personal observations of Y. N. Choi, C. Yi, I.-H. Kim, and Y. N. Choi), as well as photographs provided by other authors (Moon et al, 2009;Kim et al, 2017Kim et al, , 2019Kim I. H. et al, 2020), suggest that green turtles in Korea (but also hawksbills and olive ridleys) rarely carry any barnacles. (Hayashi and Tsuji, 2008), Queensland in Australia (Limpus et al, 1994;Doell et al, 2017), Aldabra Atoll (Frazier, 1971), Mabul Island in N. Borneo (Lim et al, 2021), and Natal and Tongland (Hughes, 1974).…”

Movement Patterns of Juvenile Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta L. 1758) and Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas L. 1758) Hatched in Captivity and Released in the Korean Waters

“…Five sea turtle species have been reported from the coasts of the Republic of Korea, including the loggerhead ( Caretta caretta ; Linnaeus, 1758), green ( Chelonia mydas ; Linnaeus, 1758), hawksbill ( Eretmochelys imbricata ; Linnaeus, 1766), olive ridley ( Lepidochelys olivacea ; Eschscholtz, 1829), and leatherback ( Dermochelys coriacea ; Vandelli, 1761) turtles [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. The observation frequency of sea turtles is increasing near the Korean Peninsula [ 13 , 16 ], with up to 30 observations reported in one year, of which loggerhead and green turtles were the most frequently observed [ 11 , 12 , 16 ]. In particular, approximately 10 cases of loggerhead turtle nesting have been reported previously, with one successful hatching case on Jeju Island [ 5 , 11 , 12 , 16 , 17 ].…”

Satellite Tracking of Green Sea Turtles Chelonia mydas in Korean Waters

“…, (Morreale et al, 1996;Kamezaki and Matsui, 1997;Polovina et al, 2006;Godley et al, 2007;Kobayshi et al, 2008). Moon et al (2009Moon et al ( ) 2008 . ,…”