I saw a turtle!

Hello all!

We just returned from our overnight turtlewatch. It was amazing! We went wilderness camping (no running water, no bathrooms) on a cliff overlooking part of Magdalena Bay. The place was absolutely beautiful, despite the less than glamorous living conditions. We set up camp and spent the first few hours tanning on the beach. Then we had a few outdoor lectures on site to introduce us to the 5 year research plan that we are taking part in, as well as the ecosystem of the bay, and a little bit of sea turtle biology.

The research plan that we are working on is one that attempts to address the problem of developing the economy of Puerto San Carlos in a way that does not compromise the surrounding environment and the diverse species that make their homes there. The bay is home to 5 of the worlds 7 types of sea turtles, is a breeding site for the grey whale, and also supports many local commercial fishing operations (mainly shrimp, lobster, and abalone). The school is working directly with the fishermen and the local townspeople to find out how they want to develop Puerto San Carlos and is providing them with information about how these activities may effect the ecosystems that the bay supports, specifically the sea turtle populations. By monitoring populations numbers and growth, the school can give the locals a better idea as to how the turtles are being effected by their activities.

After the lectures were over, we split up into teams of 6 students. Gillnets were set up in the bay to be monitored overnight to catch turtles. Each team was responsible for monitoring these nets for a 4 hour span of time. My team, especially lucky, had to monitor the nets from 12-4am. It was extremely cold out on the water at that hour, but beautiful as well. The skies were very clear and you could see lots of stars. Because the area was so remote, it was pitched black and we all had to use headlamps to see what we were doing. Our group pulled a green sea turtle out of the nets within the first 15 minutes of monitoring and were turtle-less for the rest of our shift. We did however, come across a stingray that was stuck in our nets. He got tangled up in the lines and we had to work very carefully to release him. Rays are really dangerous because they have long spines that they can sting with when they feel threatened (remember Steve Irwin). This particular one was so big and so tangled that we had to cut him out of the net.

The next morning we measured our turtles and tagged them. The group caught four turtles in all. Three were new catches and one was a recatch. We took pictures of them and logged them in the database, and then released them. After that, we went snorkeling in the bay to look at some of the coral and other marine species that make their homes there. The water was really beautiful, but also really cold. Then it was time to pack up camp and head back to the field station, which is where I am now.

I put some pictures up on facebook from the turtlewatch. If you can't access them, let me know and I will send you a link. We just got our syllabus for the term a few days ago, and I already have lots of reading to do. It looks like I'll be doing some analytical work with the data we are collecting, writing two papers, and taking a final exam. Lots to do in just a month! But I love being busy. And as nerdy as it sounds, this stuff is actually fascinating.

I'll update as soon as I get a break from the classroom! Talk to you soon!

-Erin