engleski

Corroboration of the critical habitat hypothesis for the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta in the eastern Adriatic Sea

Several authors have considered the Adriatic Sea as a possible feeding and wintering area for the loggerhead sea turtle. However, until recently there were a few scientific data to support such assumption. The latest analyses of tag returns have determined Adriatic Sea as a migration corridor for part of the loggerhead stock nesting in Greece. Results discussed are based upon analyses of (1) interaction of the Eastern Adriatic fisheries with marine turtles, (2) migration pattern, (3) diet composition, and (4) strandings. The study area is frequented by both size classes, adults (SCCL over 70 cm) and juveniles (SCCL < 70 cm), with SCCL ranging from 8.5 to 85.4 cm. Spatial distribution of refindings and concentration of tag recoveries emphasized Northern Adriatic as an area probably hosting benthic foraging and developmental habitats for the species. Communities of coastal detritical bottoms seem to present probable feeding habitats of C. caretta in northern Croatian waters. Considering distributional pattern of relevant benthic communities in the Kvarner region and in the Velebit Channel, this area may represent a loggerhead’ s critical benthic habitat in the Eastern Adriatic Sea.

by-catch analysis; feeding habitats; wintering habitats; size-class distribution

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