Vessel strike represents a significant threat to marine turtles. As a result, minimizing vessel-related mortality and developing and implementing strategies to reduce interactions between turtles and vessels are high. This multi-stage project aims to obtain information on the distribution of sea turtles and vessels in areas previously identified as hotspots of vessel-strike mortality of marine turtles and assess the willingness of local communities to change their behavior to reduce the risk of watercraft-related mortality to marine turtles. This information will help Identify strategies that can be implemented to reduce marine turtle vessel strike and assess the challenges and opportunities to implement identified strategies.
RISK OF VESSEL STRIKE TO MARINE TURTLES AND POTENTIAL MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
SPECIFIC PROJECTS
- Understanding the Exposure of Sea Turtles to Vessels: Determining the potential Impacts of vessel strike in South Florida
- Workshop to Review Management Options to Reduce Sea Turtle Vessel Strikes in Southern Florida
- Assessing Risk and Conducting Public Outreach to Reduce Vessel Strikes on Sea Turtles along Florida’s Gulf Coast
COLLABORATORS
- Zoë A. Meletis, University of Northern British Columbia
- Allen M. Foley, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
FUNDING
- NFWF’s Sea Turtles Program, Mitigating the exposure of sea turtles to vessel-strikes in Florida
- Florida Sea Turtle License Plate, Understanding the exposure of sea turtles to vessels: determining the potential impacts of vessel-strikes in south Florida
- Oil Spill Restoration
