Satellite tracking of hawksbill turtles nesting at Buck Island Reef National Monument, US Virgin Islands: Inter-nesting and for aging period movements and migrations.Kristen M. Hart, Autumn R. Iverson, Allison M. Benscoter, Ikuko Fujisaki, Michael S. Cherkiss, Clayton Pollock, Ian Lundgren, Zandy Hillis-Starr
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Biological Conservation
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/biocon
Satellite tracking of hawksbill turtles nesting at Buck Island Reef National
Monument, US Virgin Islands: Inter-nesting and foraging period movements
and migrations
Kristen M. Harta,, Autumn R. Iversonb, Allison M. Benscotera, Ikuko Fujisakic,
Michael S. Cherkissa, Clayton Pollockd, Ian Lundgrend,1, Zandy Hillis-Starrd
aU.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, 3321 College Ave., Davie, FL 33314, USA
b CNT, contracted to U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, 3321 College Ave., Davie, FL 33314, USA
cUniversity of Florida, Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center, 3205 College Ave., Davie, FL 33314, USA
dNational Park Service, Buck Island Reef National Monument, 2100 Church St. #100 Christiansted, US Virgin Islands, USA
A R T I C L E I N F O
Keywords:
Eretmochelys imbricata
Inter-nesting
Home range analysis
Switching state-space model
Kernel density estimation
Minimum convex polygon
A B S T R A C T
To conserve imperiled marine species, an understanding of high-density use zones is necessary prior to designing
and evaluating management strategies that improve their survival. We satellite-tracked turtles captured after
nesting at Buck Island Reef National Monument (BIRNM), St. Croix, US Virgin Islands to determine habitat-use
patterns of endangered adult female hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata). For 31 turtles captured between 2011
and 2014, switching state-space modeling and home range analyses showed that inter-nesting (IN) core-use areas
(i.e., 50% kernel density estimates [KDEs]) were 9.6 to 77.7 km2 in area, occupied for 21 to 85 days, and in
shallow water (21 of 26 centroids>10m). The IN zones overlapped with areas both within the protected
borders of BIRNM, and outside BIRNM (32% of turtle-tracking days outside during IN). Turtles migrated to their
foraging grounds between July and October with path lengths ranging from 52 to 3524 km; foraging areas