Schmid: Marine turtle populations on the west-central coast of Florida 
593 
k = the intrinsic growth rate; and 
t = the time in years between captures. 
Kemp’s ridley turtle mark-recapture data for 
1986-93 were tallied in a method B table (Krebs, 
1989) and analyzed with the computer program 
JOLLY (Hines, 1988; Pollock et ah, 1990). Sum- 
mary statistics for the Jolly-Seber computer analy- 
sis include the total number of turtles captured 
and released each year ( n ), the number of marked 
(m) and unmarked ( u ) turtles captured each year, 
the number of turtles released each year that are 
captured again later (r), and the number of turtles 
captured before a given year and captured again 
later ( 2 ). The data were applied to a Jolly-Seber 
model that assumes that the population param- 
eters survival rate (O) and capture probability (p) 
are constant per unit time. Annual estimates of 
the number of marked turtles in the population 
(M), population size (AO, and the number of indi- 
viduals recruited to the population ( B ) were com- 
puted with the reduced parameter model. 
Dietary analyses were conducted on Kemp’s rid- 
ley fecal specimens fortuitously encountered dur- 
ing the tagging process. Fecal specimens were ini- 
tially examined in the field and the contents were 
noted in tagging records. Additional examinations 
were performed from photographs and samples of 
feces. Components of the feces were identified to 
the lowest taxon possible and were analyzed to 
determine the percentage of specimens contain- 
ing each component (Burke et al., 1994). Nomen- 
clature of molluscs was identified by using the field 
guide of Abbott and Morris (1995). 
Results 
Marine turtle captures and effort 
One (12.5%) Kemp’s ridley, 1 (12.5%) loggerhead, 
and 6 (75%) green turtles were collected during 
64.75 h of netting at Waccasassa Reefs. The 
Kemp’s ridley turtle measured 47.6 cm SSCL, the 
loggerhead turtle measured 86.4 cm SSCL, and green 
turtles ranged from 63.0 to 73.9 cm SSCL (mean=68.0 
±3.9 cm; Fig. 2). Three of the green turtles captured 
at Waccasassa Reefs exhibited fibropapillomas ( 1-4 
cm diameter), primarily in the axillary region of the 
flippers. Maximum CPUE for green turtles at 
Waccasassa Reefs was 0.255 turtles/km-h in 1987, 
and values of CPUE for loggerhead and Kemp’s rid- 
ley turtles were 0.051 turtles/km-h in 1987 and 0.789 
turtles/km-h in 1988, respectively (Table 1). Netting 
effort was conducted at this location from June 
Capture Locations: 
E3 Corrigan Reef KS Waccasassa Reefs 
Carapace length (cm) 
Figure 2 
Length-frequency distributions for Kemp’s ridley turtles, Lepi- 
dochelys kempii , loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta , and green 
turtles, Chelortia my das, collected in Waccasassa Bay, Florida, from 
1986 to 1995. Note the different scale in y axis of upper graph. 
through November and turtles were captured in July 
and August. 
Two hundred and fifty-three (91.7%) Kemp’s rid- 
ley, 19 (6.9%) loggerhead, and 4 (1.4%) green turtles 
were collected during 980.00 h of netting at Corrigan 
Reef. Kemp’s ridley turtles ranged from 26.8 to 58.6 
cm SSCL (mean=44.5 ±6.3 cm), loggerhead turtles 
ranged from 50.0 to 77.4 cm SSCL (mean=65.0 ±8.7 
cm), and green turtles ranged from 42.9 to 70.9 cm 
SSCL (mean=56.8 ±12.9 cm; Fig. 2). Loggerhead 
turtles greater than 80 cm SSCL were caught at 
