Sea Turtle Spotter: A collaborative citizen science project to enhance awareness and data collection for marine turtle conservation
Document Type
Poster
Campus where you would like to present
Ellensburg
Event Website
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source
Start Date
18-5-2020
Abstract
Upwell uses Sea Turtle Spotter (STS), a free, international online citizen science project on the iNaturalist.org platform to collect and analyze incidental observations of sea turtles and enhance knowledge of marine habitat use. STS compiles sighting data on a global scale, complementing national sea turtle citizen science initiatives, such as the NOAA sea turtle hotline (swfsc.turtle-sightings@noaa.gov) managed by the Southwest Fisheries Science Center. Upwell's outreach, currently focusing on five of the world's seven sea turtle species, began in the eastern Pacific and recently expanded to the western Pacific. Sea turtles rely on various marine habitats at different life cycle phases. While nesting beach protection has significantly improved, many sea turtle populations remain critically endangered levels due to pernicious at-sea threats. Telemetry, capture-recapture methods and stable isotope analysis can contribute a wealth of information on habitat use, yet time and funding shortages limit wider application. Combining citizen science data with the aforementioned research techniques can yield valuable data at decreased cost while improving conservation awareness. Upwell encourages sailboaters, surfers, sportfishers, SCUBA divers, snorkelers, artisanal fishers, kayakers and other ocean enthusiasts to register incidental sightings of sea turtles at sea. STS provides a user-friendly, accessible platform to aggregate additional data needed to characterize habitat, predict patterns of usage, and prioritize conservation actions to reduce at-sea threats to marine turtles.
Recommended Citation
Russo, Stephane and Shillinger, George, "Sea Turtle Spotter: A collaborative citizen science project to enhance awareness and data collection for marine turtle conservation" (2020). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 120.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2020/COTS/120
Department/Program
Science Education
Additional Mentoring Department
https://cwu.studentopportunitycenter.com/2020/04/sea-turtle-spotter-a-collaborative-citizen-science-project-to-enhance-awareness-and-data-collection-for-marine-turtle-conservation/
Russo and Shillinger Poster
Additional Files
Russo Sea Turtle Spotter A collaborative citizen science project to enhance awareness and data collection for marine turtle conservation.pdf (855 kB)Russo and Shillinger Poster
Sea Turtle Spotter: A collaborative citizen science project to enhance awareness and data collection for marine turtle conservation
Ellensburg
Upwell uses Sea Turtle Spotter (STS), a free, international online citizen science project on the iNaturalist.org platform to collect and analyze incidental observations of sea turtles and enhance knowledge of marine habitat use. STS compiles sighting data on a global scale, complementing national sea turtle citizen science initiatives, such as the NOAA sea turtle hotline (swfsc.turtle-sightings@noaa.gov) managed by the Southwest Fisheries Science Center. Upwell's outreach, currently focusing on five of the world's seven sea turtle species, began in the eastern Pacific and recently expanded to the western Pacific. Sea turtles rely on various marine habitats at different life cycle phases. While nesting beach protection has significantly improved, many sea turtle populations remain critically endangered levels due to pernicious at-sea threats. Telemetry, capture-recapture methods and stable isotope analysis can contribute a wealth of information on habitat use, yet time and funding shortages limit wider application. Combining citizen science data with the aforementioned research techniques can yield valuable data at decreased cost while improving conservation awareness. Upwell encourages sailboaters, surfers, sportfishers, SCUBA divers, snorkelers, artisanal fishers, kayakers and other ocean enthusiasts to register incidental sightings of sea turtles at sea. STS provides a user-friendly, accessible platform to aggregate additional data needed to characterize habitat, predict patterns of usage, and prioritize conservation actions to reduce at-sea threats to marine turtles.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2020/COTS/120
Faculty Mentor(s)
Vanessa Hunt