Sea
Turtles in Irish and UK Waters
Five
of the seven marine turtle species have been recorded in Irish and UK
waters, but of these the Leatherback is the only one which occurs here as
the result of a deliberate migratory movement.
Their presence here is probably due to the seasonal occurrence of large
numbers of jellyfish. Satellite tracking has shown that turtles nesting in
the Caribbean and the Guianas make their way across the north Atlantic in
search of jellyfish, which are abundant in our waters between August and
October. |
- There
were about 600 records of Leatherbacks in Irish and British waters between
1976 and 1996.
- Most
turtles are found entangled in fishing nets while others have been
recorded swimming at sea.
- There were six sightings of Leatherbacks in the
Irish Sea during July and August 2004.
- There
is only one confirmed record from Northern Ireland waters - a
Leatherback seen swimming off the Copeland Islands.
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- The
Irish Sea Leatherback Turtle Project, based at University College Cork
and the University of Wales Swansea, have been investigating the occurrence
of Leatherback Turtles in the Irish Sea. Concentrations of Turtles
occur in two Welsh bays in particular - Tremadoc Bay and Carmarthen
Bay - and aerial surveys have shown that Barrel Jellyfish (Rhizostoma
octopus), a prime food item, are found here at densities of one
per square metre. Historical sightings of Leatherbacks coincide with
the jellyfish hot spots. Two
leatherbacks accidently captured in fishing nets off the Co Cork coast
were fitted with satellite transmitters in September 2005 and in June
2006 and tracked as they made their way south towards the tropics!
Find out more...
- The
coast of Cornwall
regularly turns up Leatherbacks, both stranded and seen alive in the
water. A peak of 18 Leatherbacks were recorded by Roger Penhallurick
in 1988 and 1990. More details
here...
- Satellite
tracking
of turtles nesting in Grenada, in the Caribbean, has shown that
Leatherbacks travel extensively throughout the Atlantic, some reaching
the coast of Nova Scotia, some heading towards Britain and Ireland and
others reaching the coast of West Africa. Turtles spend over half
their time diving - usually to depths of less than 250m, in search of
jellyfish and other jelly like sea creatures. Follow the link and
click on Hays et al (2004) to see the tracking map and dive
data. link...
- The
Marine Conservation Society is spearheading Leatherback conservation
efforts in the UK. It has launched an ‘Adopt-a Turtle’ campaign,
is conducting a Jellyfish Survey and provides funding for turtle
conservation. The
Leatherback is the subject of a Species Action Plan prepared under the
UK Biodiversity Strategy which aims to promote the need for global
conservation efforts and address local threats to turtles in UK waters.
Find out more here...
- Threats
in European waters include the ingestion
of plastic, such as carrier bags which the Leatherback mistakes for
jellyfish. Plastic can block the turtle’s gut
leading to a slow death by starvation. Strikes
from boats, and entanglement in fishing gear are also commonly
recorded. The Action
Plan aims to tackle some of these problems.
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