Estimación Poblacional, Rutas Migratorias Y Características Morfométricas De La Tortuga Cardón (Dermochelys Coriacea Vandelli 1761) en Las Playas De Cipara Y Querepare, Península De Paria, Venezuela, Durante Las Temporadas De Anidación 2000-2006

Abstract

Capture-mark-recapture data, individual morphometrics (including size and growth), remigration data, and nesting population size (2000-2006) are presented for leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in Cipara and Querepare, Paria Peninsula, Venezuela. From 502 tagged females, the average remigration interval for 41 individuals seen in subsequent years was 2.5 years. In Querepare, remigrants (previously tagged) and neophytes (untagged individuals) increased significantly; in Cipara, remigrants increased significantly but neophytes did not. Of 38 tagged females observed nesting at more than one beach during a nesting season, 73.6 % traveled between Cipara and Querepare (30 km) and 10.5 % the balance between Cipara or Querepare and Unare (10-30 km) and 7.9 % between Paria and Margarita Island (130 km), as well as 5.3 % internationally between Paria and Trinidad (240 km) and 2.6 % between Cipara and Dominica (550 km). Mean curved carapace length (CCL) and width (CCW) of 403 measured females was 151.78±6.20 cm and 110.03±4.42 cm, respectively. Of 46 nesting females measured during more than one reproductive season, mean growth in CCL and CCW was 0.85±1.10 cm*yr–1 and 0.64±0.56 cm*yr–1, respectively. There was no significant relationship between growth rate and initial size or remigration interval. Estimates of population size between 2000 (58 adult females, range: 28-113) and 2006 (277 adult females, range: 133–532) increased both significantly and exponentially (r= 0.966, p= 0.0004), with the study sites representing 1% of estimated world adult female population.

International movements of adult female leatherback turtles in the Caribbean: results from tag recovery data (2002-2013)

“…Intra-seasonal movement (>100 km) among nesting beaches has been documented between sites in French Guiana and Suriname (Schulz 1971, Pritchard 1973, Girondot & Fretey 1996, Georges et al 2007), Panama and Costa Rica (Chacón-Chaverri & Eckert 2007), Venezuela and Trinidad (Rondón-Médicci et al 2014) and among Caribbean islands (Eckert et al 1989, Bräutigam & Eckert 2006, Georges et al 2007, Stapleton & Eckert 2007. The annual percentage of leatherbacks that nest (within a reproductive year) on a beach in a political jurisdiction other than where that animal was tagged has been estimated at < 5% (Eckert et al 1989, Rondón-Médicci et al 2012, although a higher rate (8.5%) was documented along the contiguous coastline of the Guianas (Schulz 1971). The extent to which animals spread their iterative reproductive investment spatially is of significant conservation interest , Georges et al 2007, Rondón-Médicci et al 2012.…”

“…The annual percentage of leatherbacks that nest (within a reproductive year) on a beach in a political jurisdiction other than where that animal was tagged has been estimated at < 5% (Eckert et al 1989, Rondón-Médicci et al 2012, although a higher rate (8.5%) was documented along the contiguous coastline of the Guianas (Schulz 1971). The extent to which animals spread their iterative reproductive investment spatially is of significant conservation interest , Georges et al 2007, Rondón-Médicci et al 2012. Such movement has implications related, inter alia, to genetic diversity (Dutton et al 1999), population trend estimates (Stewart et al 2014), and the need for collaboration among range States (Wold 2002, Richard son et al 2013.…”

Trade of marine turtles along the Southwestern Coast of the Gulf of Venezuela

“…The GV is located in the upper and exterior slump of the Maracaibo Lake System Medina and Barboza 2003;Morán et al 2014), and this coastal region represents one of the most important feeding grounds for marine turtles in Venezuela (BarriosGarrido et al 2015;Buitrago et al 2015a;Buitrago et al 2015b;Guada et al 2015;Rondón-Médicci et al 2015). …”

“…Now, Wayuú people use a variety of different marine turtle body parts as commercial items: for example meat (mainly pectoral muscles), carapace, as well as the scutes of hawksbill turtles. This shift towards commercial use of marine turtles has placed increased pressure on the Gulf of Venezuela's marine turtles and its management is important because regional marine turtle populations are considered to be conservation dependent in Venezuela (Barrios-Garrido et al 2015;Buitrago et al 2015a;Buitrago et al 2015b;Guada et al 2015;Rondón-Médicci et al 2015). Hence, pervasive commercial use, or use not managed by communitybased programs could compromise the status of marine turtle species within Venezuelan waters (Barrios-Garrido and Montiel-Villalobos 2010).…”