Migración de la tortuga verde (Chelonia mydas), la tortuga caguama (Caretta caretta) y la tortuga carey (Eretmochelys imbricata), en la plataforma cubana y aguas adyacentes

Resumen

Marine turtles migrate hundreds to thousands of kilometers between reproductive and feeding areas. Populations that lay eggs in one country generally feed in waters of other countries, thereby making them a common resource. This paper characterizes migration of green turtle (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), and hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate) on the Cuban shelf and adjacent waters, where they are common. To study the movement patterns of these species in Cuban waters, tag-recapture data from the Cuban National Tagging Program (CNTP) (1989–2002) and others international programs (1959–2003) were compiled. Also included was data of 19 hawksbill turtles tracked by satellite. Tagging took place within four fishing areas of the Cuban shelf, nesting beaches of Cayos de las Doce Leguas, and Isla de la Juventud, as well as sea turtles from a headstart project. Of 742 green, 210 loggerhead, and 1029 hawksbill tagged turtles, 41 green, 15 loggerhead, and 95 hawksbill turtles were recaptured. Most of the green turtles (76.9%) were recaptured off the coast of Nicaragua. Green turtles tagged elsewhere and recaptured in Cuba included headstarted juveniles from Grand Cayman (45%), Mexico (2.3%), and Florida (1.8%); wild juveniles from the Bahamas (14.1%), Bermuda (5.4%), and Florida (1.5%); and adults from Tortuguero (26%), Florida (1.3%), Mexico (1%), Venezuela (1.3%), and U.S. Virgin Islands (0.3%). Recaptures of tagged turtles at sites north of Cuba (Bermuda and the Bahamas) clustered in the northeast of Cuba, while those from the south (Grand Cayman) were recaptured in southern areas of Cuba. Green turtles from the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, and Bermuda showed the highest recapture rates in Cuban habitats, 3.2, 1.9, and 1.0% of the total tags, respectively. Most of the tagged loggerhead turtles were recaptured in Cuban waters (93.3%). Loggerhead turtles tagged elsewhere and recaptured in Cuba included nesting females from Florida (84.0% of foreign-origin recaptures) and Mexico (10.0%), wild juveniles from the Canary Islands (2.0%) and the Spanish Mediterranean coast (2.0%), and one headstarted individual from the Bahamas (2.0%). Hawskbill turtles were mostly recaptured within waters of the Cuban continental shelf in the Cayos de las Doce Leguas, where as many juveniles as adults showed a high degree of fidelity to the location of tagging. Only two hawksbill turtles were found on the Nicaraguan coast and one on the Colombian coast. Results of tag-recapture and tracking by satellite indicated that on the Cuban shelf, hawksbill turtles move short and long distances, and also remain in the region of the Cayos de las Doce Leguas for a considerable time. Origins of hawksbill turtles tagged in other regions were: Mexico, Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Barbados, and Puerto Rico. The results indicated that green, loggerhead, and hawksbill turtles swim eastward and westward, with or against currents along the northern and southern coasts of Cuba. For green and hawksbill turtles, the prevailing movement along the north coast is towards the east and for loggerhead turtles, movement is towards the west. There is evidence that the northern coast of Cuba is a migratory route for turtles to destination habitats along the southern coast of Cuba. The Cuban shelf constitutes an important foraging area and migratory corridor within the Caribbean Sea region populated by these turtles.