COSTA / Tagging program
The first efforts for tagging sea turtles in the Azores were made in the late 60’s by Dalberto Pombo, an amateur naturalist of Santa Maria Island. This effort was only possible with the help of Dr. Archie Carr from the Department of Biology from the University of Florida, who provided the necessary utensils and knowledge. In 1982 the tagging program started with the collaboration of the investigator Helen Rost Martins from the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries (DOP) from the University of the Azores. The tagging program was created to shed light to the theory raised by Archie Carr and Leo Brongersma entitled “Lost Year”, i.e. on the nesting beaches of Florida (USA), only 5 cm recently hatched turtles, young adults with 50-55 cm of carapace length and larger adults can be seen. The whereabouts of intermediate-sized turtles (i.e. oceanic juveniles) during this period was unknown.
In 1984, the tagging records were shared with Archie Carr. Carapace length measurements taken in the Azores complemented the “missing” size classes recorded on the US coasts. Decades later, recaptures on the Caribean Sea and US coasts of turtles tagged in the Azores followed by genetic studies helped proving the “Lost Year” theory. The tagging program continued with the objective of collecting more information on demographic aspects of sea turtle populations such as individual growth rates, habitat residency times, patterns of movement and strandings.
Since the beginning of the tagging program in the late 1960’s, more than 4500 sea turtles have been tagged, from which a little more than 60 have been recaptured. While early on the program used to collaborate mainly with tuna fishing vessels, it currently relies on the collaboration of whale watching companies distributed over the archipelago. This way the whale watching companies also fulfill an important role in environmental education towards their clients. The program is managed by IMAR in close collaboration with the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research – ACCSTR. Currently, the tagging program has the collaboration of 11 whale watching companies located in 5 of the 9 islands of the archipelago.
Parceiros
Technical training
The COSTA project provides legal permits and technical training on tagging procedures and best handling practices for collaborators of the tagging program.