Hatchery efficiency for turtle conservation in Cabo Verde
Samir Martins,
Nádia Ferreira-Veiga,
Zuleika Rodrigues,
Adélcio Querido,
Nuno de Santos Loureiro,
Kátia Freire,
Elena Abella,
Carolina Oujo,
Adolfo Marco
Affiliations
Samir Martins
Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Algarve, Gambelas, P-8005-139 Faro, Portugal; BIOS.CV - Conservation of the Environment and Sustainable Development, CP 52111, Sal Rei – Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde; Corresponding author.
Nádia Ferreira-Veiga
BIOS.CV - Conservation of the Environment and Sustainable Development, CP 52111, Sal Rei – Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde
Zuleika Rodrigues
BIOS.CV - Conservation of the Environment and Sustainable Development, CP 52111, Sal Rei – Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde
Adélcio Querido
BIOS.CV - Conservation of the Environment and Sustainable Development, CP 52111, Sal Rei – Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde
Nuno de Santos Loureiro
Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Algarve, Gambelas, P-8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Kátia Freire
BIOS.CV - Conservation of the Environment and Sustainable Development, CP 52111, Sal Rei – Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde
Elena Abella
BIOS.CV - Conservation of the Environment and Sustainable Development, CP 52111, Sal Rei – Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde
Carolina Oujo
BIOS.CV - Conservation of the Environment and Sustainable Development, CP 52111, Sal Rei – Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde
Adolfo Marco
BIOS.CV - Conservation of the Environment and Sustainable Development, CP 52111, Sal Rei – Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde; Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, C/ Américo Vespucio, s/n, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
This paper evaluated the efficiency of beach hatcheries as a conservation tool for threatened sea turtle clutches. During six nesting seasons (2013 to 2018), several thousand high-risk clutches from loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) were relocated to a hatchery constructed on the same beach, within the Sea Turtle Natural Reserve (STNR, Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde). Some parameters like hatching success; incubation period, hatchlings’ morphology and their behavioral response were compared to in-situ clutches. • Our findings confirmed that the in-situ nests within the STNR had extremely high egg mortality that was usually over 70 %. Mean hatching success of clutches relocated to hatcheries was significantly higher than in-situ clutches with mean values between 70 to 85 % (p 0.05) between relocated and in-situ clutches. • This study provided a detailed method and recommendations for sea turtle clutches relocation to the hatchery, that can be beneficial for endangered sea turtle population specially where hatching success is very low.
