Epperly et al.: Aerial surveys for sea turtles 



261 



(0-126.1, Keinath, 1993; 0-12.3 turtles/100 km 2 , 

 Epperly et al., in press, b). The abundance of sea 

 turtles in the inshore waters of the Atlantic Coast 

 (North Carolina and Virginia), at densities at least 

 as great as in the ocean, indicates the importance of 

 these estuarine habitats for the foraging and devel- 

 opment of immature turtles. 



Acknowledgments 



We thank Joseph Smith and Neil McNeill for their 

 dedication as observers during many aerial surveys 

 that were eye-straining and occasionally hazardous, 

 and John Betts, Bob Burrows, Pim Lauret, Karl 

 Marks, Anthony Marsh, Pat Smith, Ron Snoeij, and 

 Fred Swain for their excellent piloting and naviga- 

 tion skills. We appreciate the efforts of personnel at 

 the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, the U.S. 

 Navy VACAPES, and the U.S. Air Force Seymour 

 Johnson Base in providing airspace clearance. We 

 thank the staff of the Virginia Institute of Marine 

 Science sea turtle project for initial observer train- 

 ing. This manuscript benefitted from reviews by 

 David Colby, Nancy Thompson, Lawrence Settle, and 

 anonymous individuals. This research was funded 

 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Na- 

 tional Marine Fisheries Service. 



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