Unraveling migratory corridors of loggerhead and green turtles from the Yucatan Peninsula and its overlap with bycatch zones of the Northwest Atlantic.

ABSTRACT: Bycatch represents a conservation problem when endangered species are affected. Sea turtles are highly vulnerable to this threat as their critical habitats overlap with fishing zones in all regions of the world. We used sequences of the mitochondrial DNA control region obtained from loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) turtles to determine the migratory routes between nesting habitats in the Yucatán Peninsula and their critical marine habitats in the Northwest Atlantic. Mixed Stock Analysis revealed that loggerheads from Quintana Roo migrated to foraging areas in the northwestern Atlantic. Migratory routes used by green turtles are determined by their natal nesting colony: (1) green turtles from the Gulf of Mexico migrate to foraging aggregations in Texas and the norther

SUBMITTER: Labastida-Estrada E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11623791 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature