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2 Rota green turtles tagged with satellite transmitters
The CNMI Department of Land and Natural Resources Sea Turtle Program contractors were able to attach satellite transmitters on the first two nesting green turtles ever tagged on the island of Rota last month.
NOAA biologist Tammy Mae Summers releases a green turtle after tagging it. (Contributed Photo)
The turtles, named “Lady Sagua” and “Lady Pugua,” will be tracked by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center program, according to resident NOAA biologist Tammy Summers.
“CNMI green sea turtle migratory data will help to inform future management actions considered by federal and local government agencies,” she told Saipan Tribune.
Summers said the turtles, weighing approximately 250 to 300 lbs each, were tagged at Apanon Beach and Sagua Beach on April 26 and April 29, not long after midnight on the southern island.
Although the turtle tagging program has been in existence for years on the islands, biologists were initially only able to tag a few individuals due to lack of funds. With fresh funding from NOAA and Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, the biologists were able to tag the two turtles.
“Additionally, it is difficult logistically to perform this work on islands other than Saipan, since STP contract staff and equipment are not based there fulltime; we must perform rapid assessments,” she explained.
Summers said that seven satellite tags were deployed in the current nesting season, four of which were on Saipan, two on Rota, and one on Tinian.
“We were given 10 satellite tags total and are hoping to deploy the last three [tags] on the three remaining active turtles nesting on each island,” she added.
Summers noted the importance of tagging, as scientists can learn more about the species’ movements and behavior.
“We have found that turtles travel great distances from foraging grounds to nesting beaches,” she said. “Passing through the waters of many countries has highlighted the migratory nature of sea turtles, and the need for the Pacific region to work together to strengthen conservation initiatives.”
