GREEN SEA TURTLE

U R U G U A Y A N
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
RELATIVE DENSITY OF JUVENILE GREEN SEA TURTLE (Chelonia mydas) IN THE MPA CABO
POLONIO-BARRA DE VALIZAS, URUGUAY.
Cecilia Lezama
1
, Daniel Gonzlez-Paredes
1,2
, Mariana Rios
3
, Alejandro Fallabrino
1
, Gabriela Vlez-Rubio
1,4
,
Gustavo Martnez-Souza
1,5
1)Karumb, Biodiversidad y Conservacin. Av.Rivera 3245. 11600. Montevideo. Uruguay. karumbemail@gmail.com
2)Hombre y Territorio Association. C/ Castellar 54-56 #2, 41003. Seville, Andalusia, Spain. contacto@hombreyterritorio.org
3)Area de biodiversidad y conservacin, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, MEC. Montevideo, Uruguay.
4)Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biologia Evolutiva, Universidad de Valencia, Aptdo. 22085, 46071 Valencia, Spain
5)Programa de Ps-Graduao em Oceanografia Biolgica, IO, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
UY
UY
(Catch per Unit of Effort)
number of captured turtles
guillnet soak time x guillnet unit (75m
2
)
CPUE
S O N D J F M A M J J A
50
*CCL (meanSD = 385 45 cm)
**[stranding turtles/month (N= 643). Karumb database 1999-2010]
* *
Chelonia mydas
Uruguayan coast represents an important fee-
ding area for a mixed stock of juvenile* green sea turtle
into the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean
1,2
.
The occurrence of green turtles in Uruguay is determina-
ted by the abundance of algae (its main food resource)
and warm water temperatures (optimal for its
metabolism)
1
.
Therefore, the occurrence of green turtles in Uruguay is
seasonally with a remarkable peak during the summer
months
3,4
.
The aim of this research is to analyze the green turtle
density population in MPA Cabo Polonio-Barra de Vali-
zas compared with the MPA Cerro Verde e Islas de la
Coronilla, which is considered a critical habitat
1
for
green turtles.
The study period ran in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2013, from
January to March.
REFERENCES
1.- Lpez-Mendilaharsu et al.(2006).Biologa, Ecologa y Etologa de las tortugas marinas en la zona costera uruguaya.(eds)
2.- Bolten, A.B. (1999). Techniques for Measuring Sea Turtles.(eds)
3.- Vlez-Rubio et al.(2013).Marine turtle threats in Uruguayan waters: insights from 12 years of stranding data. MB.
4.- Martnez-Souza etal.(2011). Cerro Verde, Uruguay, can be a year-round feeding area for juvenile green turtles? Proceedings of the 31 ISTS.
ACKNOWLEGMENTS
Authors are reallygratefultoallKarumbmembersandvolunteers who once formed part of the NGO.
Thanks for the support of Sea Turtle Conservation, CLS America, ISSF, EBS, EAI.
Karumb NGO
We performed scientific captures
of the green turtles when they
came to feed on algae on the
coastal rocky points. We used the
CPUE index (Catch per Unit of
Effort) to estimate the turtle abun-
dance in both MPAs.

Considering the CPUE as abundance index, this means
that MPA Cabo Polonio-Barra de Valizas supports a re-
lative density of green turtles similar to MPA Cerro
Verde e Islas de La Coronilla.
The rocky points and surrounding waters in both MPAs
represent a critical habitat for green turtles. These
linked spots confirm an important foraging network
that supports a juvenile stock in its growing stage.
MPA Cabo Polonio
Karumb NGO achieved to
capture 46 juvenile green
turtles in a total of 55 captu-
re events during the study
period.
CPUE = 060 081
338 46
MPA Cerro Verde
In this important feeding
spot, Karumb NGO mana-
ged to capture 338 juveni-
le green turtles in a total of
157 capture events during
the study period.
CPUE = 047 091
2005 2006 2007 2013 2005 2006 2007 2013
KARUMB
SCIENTIFIC BASE
AMP CABO POLONIO
BARRA DE VALIZAS
060
081
CPUE
047
091
CPUE
AMP CERRO VERDE
ISLAS DE LA CORONILLA