Leatherback turtles satellite-tagged in European waters

摘要: The North Atlantic is considered a stronghold for the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle. However, limited information exists regarding movements of individuals to and from seas off Europe's northwesterly fringe, an area where leatherbacks have been historically sighted past 200 yr. Here, we used satellite telemetry record behaviour 2 bycaught in fisheries southwest coast Ireland. turtle T1 (tagged 1 Septem- ber 2005; female; tracked 375 d) immediately travelled south via Madeira Canaries, before residing West African waters 3 mo. In spring, migrated north towards Newfoundland transmissions ceased. T2 (29 June 2006; male; 233 short period spend- ing 66 d west Bay Biscay, previously asserted as high-use leatherbacks. This prolonged high latitude summer residence corresponded with mesoscale feature evident imagery, implication that this had found rich feeding site. A marked change dive was apparent exited provided useful insights on diving behaviour. headed October 2006, performed deepest-ever recorded by reptile (1280 m) Cape Verde. Unlike T1, swam Brazil approaching major nesting beaches French Guiana Surinam. Importantly, these tracks document movement one remotest foraging grounds Atlantic.