Use of a towed camera system to investigate benthic habitat use by inter-nesting female hawksbill sea turtles

Abstract

The types of marine benthic habitats utilised by hawksbill sea turtles Eretmochelys imbricata nesting at Needham’s Point, Barbados, were investigated using an underwater drop camera. Habitats used preferentially (i.e. those within high-use areas) tended to be high relief and densely covered with biota, characterised by high abundance of hard corals and shallower than less frequented areas. These structurally complex habitats offered opportunities for rest and refuge, but not for foraging, with females showing no preference for sites with high sponge abundance. Females appeared to trade off site quality (i.e. based on benthic relief, cover and species composition) against the energy expended to get there, travelling long distances (up to 21.2 km) to higher-quality sites.