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AuthorPilcher, Nicolas J.
AuthorAntonopoulou, Marina
AuthorPerry, Lisa
AuthorAbdel-Moati, Mohamed A.
AuthorAl Abdessalaam, Thabit Zahran
AuthorAlbeldawi, Mohammad
AuthorAl Ansi, Mehsin
AuthorAl-Mohannadi, Salman Fahad
AuthorAl Zahlawi, Nessrine
AuthorBaldwin, Robert
AuthorChikhi, Ahmed
AuthorDas, Himansu Sekhar
AuthorHamza, Shafeeq
AuthorKerr, Oliver J.
AuthorAl Kiyumi, Ali
AuthorMobaraki, Asghar
AuthorAl Suwaidi, Hana Saif
AuthorAl Suweidi, Ali Saqar
AuthorSawaf, Moaz
AuthorTourenq, Christophe
AuthorWilliams, James
AuthorWillson, Andrew
Available date2016-09-27T07:17:40Z
Publication Date2014-11
Publication NameJournal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
Identifierhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2014.06.009
CitationNicolas J. Pilcher, Marina Antonopoulou, Lisa Perry, Mohamed A. Abdel-Moati, et al. "Identification of Important Sea Turtle Areas (ITAs) for hawksbill turtles in the Arabian Region," Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, Volume 460, November 2014, Pages 89-99,.
ISSN00220981
URIhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022098114001816
URIhttp://hdl.handle.net/10576/4781
AbstractWe present the first data on hawksbill turtle post-nesting migrations and behaviour in the Arabian region. Tracks from 90 post-nesting turtles (65 in the Gulf and 25 from Oman) revealed that hawksbills in the Arabian region may nest up to 6 times in a season with an average of 3 nests per turtle. Turtles from Qatar, Iran and the UAE generally migrated south and southwest to waters shared by the UAE and Qatar. A smaller number of turtles migrated northward towards Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and one reached Kuwait. Omani turtles migrated south towards Masirah island and to Quwayrah, staying close to the mainland and over the continental shelf. The widespread dispersal of hawksbill foraging grounds across the SW Gulf may limit habitat protection options available to managers, and we suggest these be linked to preservation of shallow water habitats and fishery management. In contrast, the two main foraging areas in Oman were small and could be candidates for protected area consideration. Critical migration bottlenecks were identified at the easternmost point of the Arabian Peninsula as turtles from Daymaniyat Islands migrate southward, and between Qatar and Bahrain. Overall, Gulf turtles spent 68% of the time in foraging ground with home ranges of 40–60km2 and small core areas of 6km2. Adult female turtles from Oman were significantly larger than Gulf turtles by ~11cm x¯=81.4CCL and spent 83% of their time foraging in smaller home ranges with even smaller core areas (~3km2), likely due to better habitat quality and food availability. Gulf turtles were among the smallest in the world x¯=70.3CCL and spent an average of 20% of time undertaking summer migration loops, a thermoregulatory response to avoid elevated sea surface temperatures, as the Gulf regularly experiences sustained sea surface temperatures >30°C. Fishery bycatch was determined for two of the 90 turtles. These spatio-temporal findings on habitat use will enable risk assessments for turtles in the face of multiple threats including oil and gas industries, urban and industrial development, fishery pressure, and shipping. They also improve our overall understanding of hawksbill habitat use and behaviour in the Arabian region, and will support sea turtle conservation-related policy decision-making at national and regional levels.
SponsorEmirates Wildlife Society–World Wild Fund for Nature. 7Days, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Bridgestone, CASP, College of the North Atlantic-Qatar, Deutsche Bank, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, Dubai Festival City, Emirates Palace, Environment & Protected Areas Authority, Sharjah, Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi, Fairmont, Géant, Gulftainer, HSBC, Intercontinental, Dubai Festival City, Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, Jumeirah Etihad Towers, Linklaters, Momentum Logistics, Mubadala, Murjan Marinas, Nokia, Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, The Club, TimeOut Dubai, and the Young Presidents Organisation.
Languageen
PublisherElsevier
SubjectArabian Gulf
Conservation and management
Eretmochelys imbricata
Habitat use
Satellite tracking
Persian Gulf
TitleIdentification of Important Sea Turtle Areas (ITAs) for hawksbill turtles in the Arabian Region
TypeArticle
Pagination89-99
Volume Number460
Open Access user License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/


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