Identification of marine key areas across the Caribbean to ensure the conservation of the critically endangered hawksbill turtle

Manon Nivière (1) , Philippine Chambault (1) , Thierry Pérez (2) , Denis Etienne , Marc Bonola (3) , Jordan Martin , Cyrille Barnerias (4) , Fabien Védie (5) , Julien Mailles (5) , Émilie Dumont-Dayot (6) , Julie Gresser (7) , Gaëlle Hiélard (7) , Sidney Régis (1) , Nicolas Lecerf (8) , Laurent Thieulle (9) , Matthieu Duru (1) , Fabien Lefebvre (10) , Guillaume Milet (1) , Blandine Guillemot (11) , Bernard Bildan (12) , Benjamin de Montgolfier (13) , Abdelwahab Benhalilou (14) , Céline Murgale (14) , Thomas Maillet (14) , Patrick Quénéhervé (15) , Thierry Woignier (2) , Morjane Safi (1) , Yvon Le Maho (3) , Odile Petit (16) , Damien Chevallier (16) , Julie Mailles

1 IPHC - Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien
2 IMBE - Institut méditerranéen de biodiversité et d'écologie marine et continentale
3 DEPE-IPHC - Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie
4 DEAL Martinique
5 DEAL Martinique
6 Service de police de l'Environnement
7 Office de l'Eau Martinique
8 Materials and Chemistry
9 Fish Pass
10 CETIM - CEntre Technique des Industries Mécaniques
11 Délégation Inter Régionale Outre-mer
12 UCPA Saint Pierre - UCPA Saint Pierre
13 Aquasearch
14 Association POEMM - Association POEMM
15 Station de recherches de nématologie et de génétique moléculaire des invertébrés
16 DEPE-IPHC - Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie

Acquisition of data on animal movement when developing management strategies is a common challenge in species conservation, especially when dealing with a critically endangered species as the hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata. To reach the objective of the 2008 national action plan for Martinique Island (French West Indies), the present paper examines horizontal and vertical movements in juveniles (n = 3) and adults life stages (11 females and 2 males) of 16 hawksbill turtles. Our results reveal the strong site fidelity of individuals to their foraging grounds (mean male foraging home range: 89.3 ± 20.2 km 2 , mean female foraging home range: 336 ± 284.7 km 2 , mean juvenile foraging home range: 157.3 ± 71.2 km 2) and to the females' inter-nesting areas (mean home range: 284.2 ± 523.7 km 2). A spatial foraging overlap occurred between juveniles and males as they shared 41% of their 95% kernel foraging habitat. The turtles performed mainly long and shallow dives within the first 20 m deep around Martinique Island, occupying shallow waters close to shore. The migratory routes of the adult females revealed regional connectivity between the Caribbean islands, crossing 31 exclusive economic zones and international waters, and featuring distinct foraging grounds. This finding reinforces the significance of a cooperative network at the Caribbean scale to ensure the efficient conservation of this critically endangered species.

Keywords: Eretmochelys imbricata; Migration; Diving behaviour; Home range; French Antilles; Satellite tracking

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Environmental Sciences; Biodiversity and Ecology

Manon Nivière, Philippine Chambault, Thierry Pérez, Denis Etienne, Marc Bonola, et al.. Identification of marine key areas across the Caribbean to ensure the conservation of the critically endangered hawksbill turtle. Biological Conservation, 2018, 223, pp.170 - 180. ⟨10.1016/j.biocon.2018.05.002⟩. ⟨hal-01929768⟩