Upwell Researcher Anna Ortega models future population dynamics and assesses long-term impacts of proposed conservation interventions for critically endangered sea turtle populations. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Western Australia. A few weeks ago, sea turtle experts from around the world met in Pattaya, Thailand for our annual conference. At this event each year, we present what we’ve been working on, we form collaborations, we share stories, delicious food, and lots of hugs. This was my third time attending as an Upwell researcher, and I want to share an inside look ..read more

Observing juvenile sea turtles at sea is challenging due to their small sizes (which make biologging difficult), as well as their enigmatic behaviors like diving, and the vastness of the ocean in which they roam. The early phases of sea turtle life history, commonly known as the “Lost Years,” are poorly understood despite significant advances in animal and ocean observation technologies. Upwell began the Lost Year’s Initiative to explore the promise of new tag miniaturization technologies and their potential to shed light on the lost years period, which encompasses the time at which hatchlings ..read more

In early 2024, the UN released the first ever Status Report on Migratory Species, stating that 50% of the world's migratory species are in decline. While devastating, this is not surprising. Protecting migratory species is especially difficult because they are always on the move, and most conservation efforts are not. Traditional conservation models identify geographic locations with important habitat and create management plans restricting human activity to conserve them. There are also Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in which conservation may not be the primary goal ..read more

Left to right: George Shillinger, Derek Aoki, and Justin Perrault. FWC MTP - 205 Upwell Researcher Derek Aoki describes the first time he saw a leatherback sea turtle crawling on to a beach to nest as “An awe-inspiring experience. I honestly did not believe a turtle could be that large.” For the past four years, Derek has been working towards his PhD in Integrative Biology at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute with his advisor Annie Page and co advisors, including Upwell’s Dr. George Shillinger.  He says he chose to focus his studies on leatherbacks becau ..read more

Cuando el pescador Edmundo Rafael Garcías Burgos y su tripulación encontraron una tortuga laúd gigante enredada en sus redes, inmediatamente llamó a su tío Mariano García Olivas para pedir ayuda. Edmundo y Mariano son pescadores en Dautillos, Sinaloa, quienes han sido capacitados por el Dr. Alan Zavala Norzagaray para monitorear las tortugas marinas y reportar su captura incidental. La captura incidental ocurre cuando, de manera involuntaria, se capturan  a otras especies marinas que no son el objetivo de la pesca. También ocurre cuando un pez o algún otro animal marino queda enredado en ..read more

Upwelling, arguably our favorite ocean phenomenon here at Upwell, describes when cold waters from deep in the ocean are brought to the surface. There are many factors that can contribute to Upwelling depending on where it occurs including wind, water temperature, currents, and the rotation of the earth. Coastal upwelling plays an important role on the US West Coast, and is the reason why leatherback sea turtles come to forage in our waters.  When wind blows over the ocean, friction between the two has the ability to move surface waters. On the West Coast of the United States, winds in sp ..read more

Lee en español abajo! When fisher Edmundo Rafael Garcias Burgos and his crew found a giant leatherback entangled in his nets, he immediately called his Uncle Mariano García Olivas for help. Edmundo and Mariano are fishers in Dautillos, Sinaloa, who have been trained by Dr. Alan Zavala Norzagaray to reduce and report sea turtle bycatch while out on the water. Bycatch occurs when fishing practices incidentally catch a non-target species in fishing gear, or an animal becomes entangled in abandoned or lost “ghost gear” drifting in the ocean. “Sea turtle bycatch is not often reported because turtle ..read more

Nerea Lezama-Ochoa is a marine biologist from the Basque Country (Spain), working as a UCSC project scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Environmental Science Division (ESD) in Monterey. Her team is producing daily projections of suitable habitat for 10 highly migratory species (including leatherback sea turtles). Her main research interests are ecological modeling, spatial ecology, oceanography and ecosystem-based management approaches for the conservation of marine top predators. She understands marine conservation as a way of life. During the last two ye ..read more

Sierra Fullmer is a Research Project Technician with Upwell who assists with leatherback aerial surveys to support vessel-based research on sea turtles foraging off the US Pacific coast. She also develops processing and management tools for current and archival aerial survey data used in habitat-based density models. Sierra has a BS in Marine and Atmospheric Science from the University of Miami in Florida and is completing her Master’s in Marine Science at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories through California State University, Monterey Bay. Figure 1. Pacific Northwest aerial observation team in ..read more

As you may have read about in our previous blog, Upwell collaborated with tag manufacturer, Lotek Wireless Inc., to develop prototype micro-satellite tags weighing just 2.5 grams. The tags will enable Upwell researchers to piece together the various routes juvenile turtles of different species and populations follow as they cross ocean basins for the first time. Once we know where little turtles go as they grow, we can better mobilize the targeted protections they need in the wild. This blog focuses on two of Upwell’s ongoing collaborations in our Lost Years initiative.  Tagging Juvenile ..read more