September 2009
Marine Science Review – 328
Sea turtles
In this review:
A. Recent articles – no abstract
B. Recent publications available online
C. Recent articles with abstracts
O/A denotes an open access article or journal

A. Recent articles – no abstract
Fuentes, M.M.P.B. and Hamann, M. A rebuttal to the claim natural beaches confer fitness benefits to nesting marine
turtles. Biology Letters 5(2): 266-267, 2009.
Pike, D.A. Natural beaches produce more hatchling marine turtles than developed beaches, despite regional
differences in hatching success [invited reply ]. Biology Letters 5(2): 268-269, 2009.
Clements, R., Foo, R., Othman, S., Rahman, U., Mustafa, S.R.S., and Zulkifli, R. Islam, turtle conservation, and coastal
communities. Conservation Biology 23(3): 516-517, 2009.
B. Recent publications available online
Conant, T.A. et al. 2009. Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) 2009 status review under the U.S. Endangered
Species Act. Report of the Loggerhead Biological Review Team to the National Marine Fisheries Service, August 2009. 222
pages.
Available at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/statusreviews/loggerheadturtle2009.pdf
Notes: This status review concludes that all loggerhead turtle distinct population segments (DPSs), of which there are
considered to be 9 globally, have the potential to decline in the future. Although some DPSs are indicating increasing trends at
nesting beaches (Southwest Indian Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean), available information about anthropogenic threats to
juveniles and adults in neritic and oceanic environments indicate possible unsustainable additional mortalities. According to
the threat matrix analysis used, the potential for future decline is greatest for the North Indian Ocean, Northwest Atlantic
Ocean, Northeast Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and South Atlantic Ocean DPSs.
C. Recent articles with abstracts
Witherington, B., Kubilis, P., Brost, B., and Meylan, A. Decreasing annual nest counts in a globally important
loggerhead sea turtle population. Ecological Applications 19(1): 30-54, 2009.
2
Notes: The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) nests on sand beaches, has both oceanic and neritic life stages, and migrates
internationally. We analyzed an 18-year time series of Index Nesting Beach Survey (Index) nest-count data to describe spatial
and temporal trends in loggerhead nesting on Florida (USA) beaches. The Index data were highly resolved: 368 fixed zones
(mean length 0.88 km) were surveyed daily during annual 109-day survey seasons. Spatial and seasonal coverage averaged 69%
of estimated total nesting by loggerheads in the state. We carried out trend analyses on both annual survey-region nest-count
totals (N = 18) and annual zone-level nest densities (N = 18 x 368 = 6624). In both analyses, negative binomial regression
models were used to fit restricted cubic spline curves to aggregated nest counts. Between 1989 and 2006, loggerhead nest
counts on Florida Index beaches increased and then declined, with a net decrease over the 18-year period. This pattern was
evident in both a trend model of annual survey-region nest-count totals and a mixed-effect, ''single-region'' trend model of
annual zone-level nest densities that took into account both spatial and temporal correlation between counts. We also saw this
pattern in a zone-level model that allowed trend line shapes to vary between six coastal subregions. Annual mean zone-level
nest density declined significantly (-28%; 95% CI: -34% to -21%) between 1989 and 2006 and declined steeply (-43%; 95% CI:
-48% to -39%) during 1998-2006. Rates of change in annual mean nest density varied more between coastal subregions during
the ''mostly increasing'' period prior to 1998 than during the ''steeply declining'' period after 1998. The excellent fits (observed
vs. expected count R 2 > 0.91) of the mixed-effect zone-level models confirmed the presence of strong, positive, within-zone
autocorrelation (R > 0.93) between annual counts, indicating a remarkable year-to-year consistency in the longshore spatial
distribution of nests over the survey region. We argue that the decline in annual loggerhead nest counts in peninsular Florida
can best be explained by a decline in the number of adult female loggerheads in the population. Causes of this decline are
explored.