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Loggerhead STRETCH

Sea Turtle Research Experiment on the Thermal Corridor Hypothesis

READ OUR LATEST PUBLICATION!
Check out the latest blog
CHECK OUT THE LATEST TURTLE MOVEMENTS & UPDATES
Learn More on Our Outreach Page

For decades, the North Pacific loggerhead sea turtle was a most enigmatic species.

Known in northwestern Mexico as tortuga amarilla or caguama (yellow turtle or caguama), it was found in large numbers in habitats along the coastal Pacific, yet no nesting beaches were known to exist in the region.

It wasn’t until 1987, when a solitary loggerhead bearing Japanese flipper tags wound up in waters off San Diego USA, that the notion of a transpacific migration was ever considered.
​
With the Mexico-Japan connection confirmed with genetics and more tag returns in the mid-90s, and the story of Adelita—the most famous transpacific loggerhead—in 2000, there was an undeniable loggerhead linkage between the eastern Pacific and Japan—where the turtles are known as Akaumigame.

​Equipped with this knowledge, scientists are now deciphering how loggerheads actually pull off such an amazing journey. Where are the migratory routes?  Which elements in their environment guide their behavior? 


The Current Mission


​From 2023 to 2026, our Loggerhead Sea Turtle Research Experiment on the Thermal Corridor Hypothesis (hence our project’s name “STRETCH”) team will release 100 satellite-tag-equipped loggerheads to monitor their movements in relation to oceanographic conditions. 

By learning their transpacific tendencies, we will provide vital data for aiding the protection and conservation of this unique endangered species, a responsibility that, because of its migratory habits, is shared by three countries: Japan, USA, and Mexico.


Follow the Satellite Tracking of Loggerhead Sea Turtles

On July 07, 2024, we released another 28 juvenile loggerheads into the North Pacific Ocean!
​Track their movements on the map below. Dates and times are displayed in UTC format. 
​For each turtle, we have adopted names originating from the regions that share their conservation: Japan, Hawai'i, Mexico, and USA.
Map Instructions:
To view individual tracks, click on the color-coded track directly on the map or by name in the map legend on the right-hand side.
​
To view all deployments, select ‘See All’ blue text next to ‘Deployments’ heading in the map legend. Place cursor over each data point to see the latitude, longitude, and timestamp in UTC (also known as Coordinated Universal Time). To minimize the map legend, press 'X' to close. To maximize the map legend, click the triple bars ≡ in the upper right-corner of the map. ​
On July 10, 2023, we released 25 juvenile loggerheads into the North Pacific Ocean.
​Individuals were tracked between July 2023 - April 2024. You can see their completed movements on the map below!  

The Motivating Study

​Our landmark study, Briscoe et al., was conducted in 2021. It demonstrated the value of favorable sea water temperatures and the vast importance of ‘being at the right place at the right time’ for small loggerheads to access the perfect swim-way out of the Central Pacific and into Eastern Pacific waters of North America. 
PictureSatellite tracks of 231 juvenile North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles (light gray), including six (various colors) that migrated to the coastal waters of Baja California. The white box represents the area of the hypothesized "Thermal Corridor." Figure from Briscoe et al. 2021
 

Today, the emerging ‘Thermal Corridor Hypothesis’ sets the stage for our efforts
to use experimental oceanography and satellite tracking of loggerhead turtles strategically placed in Pacific high seas
​waters to test the “if”, “where”, and “when” this oceanic gateway opens for eastbound loggerheads.
Loggerhead sea turtles at the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium (PNPA). 
Video credits: Dana Briscoe & Marc Rice
Fifteen of the 30 juvenile loggerhead turtles being raised at PNPA were being fed when we visited them in November 2022. 
​They were growing quickly and looked very healthy!
(Video credit: Marc Rice)

Learn More...

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RESEARCH

Dive into the details and learn more about the research behind the project.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
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MAP

Follow along on our journey and track the movements of the sea turtles in real time.
MAP

FAQ

Interested in learning more? Browse our frequently asked questions.
FAQ
Home page photo credits: Ralph Pace
Picture
Loggerhead STRETCH
Contact Us: [email protected]
​www.loggerheadSTRETCH.org
  • Home
  • Pagina inicial
  • Home-Japanese
  • Team
  • Equipo
  • チーム Team
  • Research
    • News and Updates
    • Publications
    • Background
    • Overview
    • FAQs >
      • Project & Turtles
      • Telemetry & Oceanography
    • Outreach
  • Investigacion
    • Noticias y Actualizaciones
    • Publicaciones
    • Antecedentes
    • Descripcion del Proyecto
    • Preguntas Frecuentes >
      • Temas relacionados al proyecto y las tortugas marinas
      • Telemetria y Oceanografia
    • Divulgación
  • 研究 Research
    • ニュースと最新情報 News and Updates
    • 出版物 Publications
    • 背景 Background
    • 概要 Overview
    • FAQs-Japanese >
      • プロジェクトとウミガメについて Project & Turtles
      • 遠隔測定法と海洋学 Telemetry & Oceanography
    • アウトリーチ Outreach
  • Map
  • Mapa
  • 地図 Map
  • Blog
  • Blog
  • Blog