A
day at the Symposium
The 27th annual International Sea Turtle Symposium was held from Feb. 24th – 27th at Myrtle Beach, S.C. Members of the Longboat Key Turtle Watch, The Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, Mote Marine Turtle researchers and "Turtle People" from around the world attended the 4 day event. The theme of the symposium was "Migration", and the presentations were associated with one of six main areas: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Conservation and Management, Turtle Protection Law and Policy, Population Biology and Monitoring on the beach and in the water, the Effect of Fisheries, and finally, Education, Outreach and Advocacy.
The presenters used a 15 minute Power Point slide show and oral discussion, covering topics like "Survival of Oceanic Loggerhead turtles in the North Atlantic", and "Effects of egg poaching on the population of Leather Back turtles in Coast Rica. Mote Marine’s Anton (Tony) Tucker delivered a presentation on "Satellite Tracking of S.W. Florida Loggerhead turtles during inter-nesting movements, post nesting migrations, and foraging residency". His presentation showed satellite tracking data of many of our local turtles traveling around the Gulf, and the possible effects of Red Tide on their movements.
Poster presentations were very informative. Much like a Science Fair, the large posters filled a room where symposium attendees had the opportunity to read the posters and discuss the subject with the poster creator. Mote’s Tony Tucker and Vikki Socha both displayed posters, and a joint venture of Mote Marine, Florida Fish and Wild Life, USF and others, displayed a poster on "2005 Sea Turtle Stranding Associated with a year long Red Tide Event".
There was also a Silent Auction with hundreds of turtle related items from around the world. Many Marine and Sea Turtle related gifts including books, jewelry, Tee Shirts (of course), and many other interesting hand carved wood items were for sale.
Vendor displays lined the hallways and covered topics ranging from the Conservation of Sea Turtles to the Earth’s Natural Heritage. Others showed equipment used for Sea Turtle satellite tracking, and a computer program that superimposes turtle nest location data on geographical beach maps. This final map provides valuable information on environmental conditions affecting nesting, and is being considered for use on our beaches.
What did I learn at the Symposium? A presentation "Doomed Egg Relocation, a beneficial Conservation strategy" showed data that indicated that moms that laid their eggs too close to the water weren’t genetically disposed to this type of nesting. Instead it was found that close water nests were laid by many first time moms who later laid their eggs farther from the water. This gives more credibility to relocating these "doomed nests" farther from the water, and ignoring the assumption that nature wanted it that way.
Another eye opening presentation was about "Legislation that protects Sea Turtles in Guatemala" On Longboat we worry about lights, in Guatemala their biggest problem is the harvesting of the sea turtles as well as their eggs. Conservation education in some remote areas is very difficult because of illiteracy. To help get the message across, plays have been written where actors show the importance of a controlled turtle harvest which will help assure the survival of the species.
Probably the most important lesson was to see the enthusiasm of many highly educated young people with a passion for Marine Conservation. Their dedication to outdoor research and data gathering, in search of answers about the world wide decline in the Sea Turtle population, was exhilarating.
As Michael Coyne, President of the International Sea Turtle Society, said in his welcome:
"As you take in the hundreds of presentations and enjoy catching up with old friends and making new ones, I ask you to reflect on what has brought you to this place. Why are you here? What do you hope to accomplish? Are you being effective as you can be? I challenge each of you to further harness your passion for sea turtles, whatever form that may take, and share it with your friends, neighbors, community and the world.
Next years Symposium will be in Baja, California.
Longboat Key Turtle Watch attendees:
Joan Dunn, Greg Fiore, Cindy Hayworth, Donna Heffner, Freda Perrotta, Rolla Schuh, Cyndi Seamon.
Written by Greg Fiore, Longboat Key Turtle Watch.