1. Green Turtle Tracking San Diego Bay
Brad MacDonald
Sheila V. Madrak
San Diego State University

2. Overview Goals Methods 2010 field work summary Upcoming objectives
Active Tracking
Diurnal
24-hour tracks
Passive Tracking
2010 field work summary
Upcoming objectives

3. Goals
Monitor movements of East Pacific Green Turtles (EPGT) in San Diego Bay
calculate home range size
map movement patterns
assess thermal conditions across use areas

4. Methods: Diurnal Active Tracking
San Diego Bay Grid
500 x 500 meters
Listening stations
Turtle detections
Water temperature
3 sections, 3 days: south, central, and north

5. Methods: 24 hour Active Tracking
Diurnal and nocturnal tracking of an individual turtle for 24 hours
Rotating research teams (Thank You!)
Scheduling and cancellations
Troubleshooting
Detection of multiple turtles and/or tags
“Following” a tag, not a turtle

7. Methods: Passive Tracking
Submersible Ultrasonic Receiver (SUR) Stations:
SUR + Hobo temperature logger
3 stations within the South Bay Power Plant (SBPP) outfall area

8. 2010 Field Work Summary January February Total Field Days: 9
Capture Days: 2
Active tracking: 6 days; 34 hours on-water
Passive tracking: SURs & temperature logger retrieval & deployment on 1/5/2010
February
Total Field Days: 12
Active tracking: 8 days; 43 hours on-water (not counting 24-hour track)
Passive tracking: SURs & temperature logger retrieval & deployment on 2/4/2010
24-Hour tracking: 1 track on 2/25-2/26, 2010 of Turtle (37 kHz, )

9. 2010 Field Work Summary March April Total Field Days: 13
Capture Days: 2
Active tracking: 8 days; 42 hours on-water (not including 24-hour track)
Passive tracking: SURs & temperature logger retrieval & deployment on 3/19/2010
24-Hour tracking: 1 track on 3/24-3/25, 2010 of Turtle (38 kHz, 6-7-8)
Research presented at SDSU Graduate Research Symposium on 3/5/2010
April
Total Field Days: 11
Active tracking: 8 days; 37 hours on-water (not including 24-hour track)
Passive tracking: SURs & temperature logger retrieval & deployment on 4/23 & 4/30
24-Hour tracking: 1 track on 4/22-23, 2010
1 field day cancelled due to wind/waves

10. Upcoming Objectives Active Tracking 24-hour tracks Diurnal tracking
Once per month; twice when personnel and equipment (boats, vehicles, etc.) are available
Diurnal tracking
3 tracking days (approximately 8 hours per day) per week
Cover all grid locations in 2 days
Use 3rd day for extended follows of individual turtles

11. Upcoming Objectives Passive Tracking Data Analysis
Currently 7 SURs deployed
Up to an additional 10 SURs will be deployed by June 2010 (pending available funding opportunities)
Data Analysis
Preliminary analysis of spatial and thermal data based on collection from 2009 – 2010 field seasons.