Porpoise Track 



N.C. 

 Turtle 



Data 

 Adding 



Glooal 

 Census 



A 



By Katie Mosher 



. Pamlico Sound turtle-tracking study 

 is offering some surprising results — and the data 

 sets have implications on the local, state, national and 

 global levels. 



The project is a "window into the lives and 

 movements of sea amies that we've never had before," 

 says Andrew Read of Duke University Marine 

 Laboratory, who presented preliminary data at the 

 2004 meeting of the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science (AAAS). 



While Read says it is too early to draw firm 

 conclusions, he was surprised by a group of turtles that 

 headed to the open ocean — including one loggerhead 

 tagged and released in September 2002 that went 

 "half-way to Africa," then turned back. By February 

 2004, it had traveled about 6,500 miles. 



The turtle study is designed to determine 

 movements of loggerheads and other turtles in an effort 

 to reduce the number of turtles caught in flounder 

 gill nets. The study is supported by the N.C. Fishery 

 Resource Grant Program (FRG), which is funded by 

 the N.C. General Assembly and administered by North 

 Carolina Sea Grant. 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 23 



