Bermuda Turtle Project

While Bermuda's nesting population of green sea turtles is believed to be extinct, the shallow reefs and sea grass meadows of the Bermuda Platform provide foraging grounds for immature hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas) born elsewhere.  It is only by understanding the biology of all stages of the long and complex life cycles of these animals that holistic management of sea turtle populations can be achieved.  

Bermuda's juvenile green turtles have been the focus of a tagging study initiated in 1968 by Dr. H.C. Frick, a trustee of the Caribbean Conservation Corporation.  One of the first scientific investigations of this species in their developmental habitat, the Bermuda Turtle Project continues today as a joint effort between the ACP, the Bermuda Zoological Society, the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo, and the Caribbean Conservation Corporation.  The project's mission is to provide a network for sea turtle biologists, environmentalists, and resource managers within the Western Atlantic/Caribbean region who are all working towards a common goal - promoting the conservation of marine turtles through research and education.

Since the project's inception, over 2,500 juvenile greens have been captured in a 2,000-foot net designed specifically to trap them.  They are tagged and studied on board the research vessel before being released at the capture site.  Research is carried out to determine size frequencies, sex ratios, growth rates, genetic affinities, habitat preferences, as well as migrations.  These studies have provided new insights into the life history of sea turtles, especially the 'developmental habitat' stage in which juvenile turtles grow from the size of a dinner plate to nearly adult size.  Turtles tagged in Bermuda have been recovered in Nicaragua, Panama, Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Grenada and St. Lucia.

One of the most significant conservation contributions of the Bermuda Turtle Project is the International Course on the Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles, which began in 1996 and has been taught for 13 consecutive years.

For more information on the Bermuda Turtle Project, visit

http://www.cccturtle.org/bermuda/index2.htm