Marine debris as a barrier: Assessing the impacts on sea turtle hatchlings on their way to the ocean

Abstract

Marine debris is dispersed worldwide and has a considerable impact on biodiversity. In this study, the effect of marine debris on the time needed for hatchling loggerheads to reach the ocean once they have emerged from the nest was investigated. After a preliminary census of marine debris on different beaches of Boa Vista Island, Cape Verde, a field test was carried out with four different scenarios: low density marine debris, medium density marine debris, high density marine debris, and a control scenario. The time that hatchlings required to cross the different scenarios was recorded (n = 232). The results showed that crawl times were affected by the different marine debris scenarios, with the "high density" scenario specifically showing a significant difference from the control, low density and medium density scenarios. This study provides information on the risks of marine debris for hatchling sea turtles and provides conservation recommendations to reduce this potential risk.

Keywords: Cape Verde; Caretta caretta; Conservation; Crawl time; Marine litter; Threatened species.