Epperly and Teas: Escape openings in turtle excluder devices 



469 



100° 



90° 



80° 



70' 



Figure 2 



Regions of reported sea turtle strandings along the coasts of the eastern United States and 

 the Gulf of Mexico. 



carapace length were linear. Coefficient of determination 

 (r^) values of regressions with log^-transformed data were 

 sHghtly (<0.015) higher than values based on untrans- 

 formed data. Regression of each of the morphometries 

 on carapace length was highly significant (P<0.0001) and 

 resulted in the following predictive equations: 



In SCN = -0.1608 + (0.9812 x In SCL), [« = 176, /■2=0.995], 



In BD = -1.0115 + ( 1.0023 x In SCL). [n = 176, r-'=0.9771. 



Straight line carapace lengths corresponding to turtles 

 with carapace widths of 81.28 cm (32 inch) and 88.90 cm 

 (35 inch) were 104.2 cm and 114.1 cm, respectively. Straight 

 line carapace lengths corresponding to turtles with body 

 depths of 25.40 cm (10 inch) and 30.48 cm (12 inch) were 

 69.2 cm and 83.0 cm, respectively. 



Kemp's ridley sea turtles The relationships between cara- 

 pace width and carapace length and between body depth 

 and carapace length were linear. Coefficient of determi- 

 nation (r^) values of regressions with logj,-transformed 

 data were slightly (<0.006) higher than values based on 

 untransformed data. Regression of each of the morphomet- 

 ries on carapace length was highly significant (P<0.0001) 

 and resulted in the following predictive equations: 



In sew = -0.2039 -t- (1.0437 x In SCL) [n=631, r2=0.998], 



In BD = -0.6283 + (0.9075 x In SCL). ln=631, r2=0.989]. 



Straight line carapace lengths corresponding to turtles 

 with carapace widths of 81.28 cm (32 inch) and 88.90 cm 

 (35 inch) were 82.2 cm and 89.6 cm, respectively. Straight 

 line carapace lengths corresponding to turtles with body 

 depths of 25.40 cm (10 inch) and 30.48 cm (12 inch) were 

 70.6 cm and 86.3 cm, respectively. 



Strandings analyses 



Straight carapace length and width were not measured for 

 a number of stranded sea turtles; body depth almost never 

 was recorded. The total number of records, by species, for 

 which the predictive regressions were applied to estimate 

 straight carapace length or straight carapace width are 

 given in Table 2. Note that the length of a turtle, straight 

 line or curved, must have been measured for the turtle to 

 be included in the analyses because the predictive mea- 

 sures were based on length. It should also be noted that 

 the conclusions from the strandings analyses were not 

 altered by the choice of linear or log-transformed data in 

 the morphometric analyses above. 



Loggerhead sea turtles 



Carapace width Strandings of loggerhead turtles with 

 carapace widths greater than the currently required 

 minimum widths of TED openings have not exceeded 1% 



