Inter-nesting, migration, and foraging behaviors of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the central-southern Red Sea

Sea turtles are migratory with nesting and foraging areas in distinct and often widely separated habitats. Telemetry has been a vital tool for tracking sea turtle migrations between these areas, but tagging efforts are often focused on only a few large rookeries in a given region. For instance, turtle tagging in the Red Sea has been focused in the north of the basin. We tagged five green turtles (Chelonia mydas) at a nesting site in the central-southern Red Sea and tracked them for 72-243 days. During the inter-nesting period, the turtles showed high site-fidelity, with a maximum home range of 161 km(2). After the nesting season, the turtles migrated up to 1100 km to five distinct foraging locations in three countries (Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Eritrea). Movements within foraging habitats were more wide-ranging compared to inter-nesting movements, with home ranges varying between 1.19 and 931 km(2). The tracking data revealed that the creation of a relatively small marine reserve could protect the critical inter-nesting habitat in the Farasan Banks. The results also highlight the need for multinational collaboration to protect migratory corridors and foraging sites of this endangered species.

Automated summary

Sea turtles have distinct nesting and foraging areas that are often separated by long distances. Telemetry is a crucial tool for tracking their migrations, but tagging efforts are mostly focused on a few large rookeries in a specific region. In the Red Sea, for example, turtle tagging has mainly been done in the northern part of the basin. In this study, we tagged five green turtles at a nesting site in the central-southern Red Sea and tracked their movements for several months. The turtles showed high site-fidelity during the inter-nesting period and migrated up to 1100 km to foraging locations in three different countries after nesting.