For millions of years, sea turtles have established their migratory routes in Earth's oceans. Most migrations are seasonal, with individuals moving between nesting and feeding grounds. Leatherback turtles hold the longest record for migration, with some leatherback turtles crossing the Pacific Ocean and migrating from Asia to the United States in search of jellyfish, traveling more than 10,000 miles. Green sea turtles, on the other hand, are constantly migrating between Pacific islands hundreds of miles apart. However, due to its scarcity, the activities of hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific are still poorly understood. Recent studies have shown that hawksbill turtles in the Eastern Pacific are more loyal to their areas of birth than other species that restrict or do not migrate. However, the exact distance from their breeding grounds to their foraging grounds remains uncertain.
Juvenile hawksbill turtles caught in foraging grounds in Costa Rica
As a National Geographic Photography Fellow, Daniel Alautz's research is part of monitoring the status and movement of juvenile and adult hawksbill turtles in different feeding grounds in Costa Rica. As a result of the increasing number of hawksbill turtle nests and feeding grounds found on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, it has been suggested that hawksbill turtles do not travel very far between their nests and feeding grounds. Scientists have formed the view that Costa Rica has not yet found other important nests, and only a few hawksbill turtle nests have been reported in previous seasons.
Reptiles of the turtle family
Using sonic telemetry of aquatic animals, Daniel Alauz's team successfully labeled 12 different hawksbill turtles in their forage. Each label emits specific sounds at frequencies that turtles or humans cannot detect, which can be received by monitoring stations or "receivers" set up at suspicious sites on the migration route, or detected by researchers on board using special hydrophones. The Daniel Arauz team project ended the project with a detailed map of the tortoiseshell foraging area and the time they spent at each foraging location. This information will be presented to local governments and other stakeholders in the hope of strengthening management regulations in areas where the species is frequented.
Acoustic labels affixed to turtle carapaces
Hawksbill turtles are listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In the eastern Pacific, the species was at one point close to regional extinction, with an estimated 500 nesting females remaining. A recent paper on research priorities for immature sea turtles highlights the need for more information on habitat use for juvenile sea turtles to help address existing management issues. Importantly, the survival of the tortoiseshell turtle has an important impact on population growth and can help prevent the extinction of this symbolically important organism.
Daniel Alauz helps turtles underwater
Daniel Alauz is a field biologist and project coordinator at the Rescue Center for Endangered Marine Species in Costa Rica. A biologist and professional diver, Daniel Alauz has been involved in marine conservation efforts since childhood. Since 2017, he has managed a sea turtle monitoring project in coastal communities, where he promotes environmental education, science and sustainable fisheries practices to protect the habitat of the critically endangered hawksbill turtle. In 2018, Daniel was selected as a member of the first National Geographic Photo Ark Edge Fellows, who helped young environmentalists protect evolutionarily unique globally endangered species.