Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire

Tracked turtles in 2007 (click on the name for more information):
Darwina | Eloise
Tracked turtles in 2008:
Greggy Girl

August 6th, 2008

No further signals have been received from 'Wiske'.

August 3rd, 2008

We have not received any signals from ‘Wiske’ since approximately mid-day on July 30. Again, the most likely explanation is a problem with the antenna. Hopefully it has not failed completely and we may still receive signals intermittently. If we do, we will keep you posted.

July 30th, 2008

Our female Loggerhead ‘Wiske’ is now approximately 130 km off the coast of Nicaragua after passing just north of the Isla San Andres.

As you can see on today’s map, the shading of the water is changing to a lighter blue indicating that ‘Wiske’ is entering the shallower coastal shelf. This shelf is the home to extensive reefs and coral communities and is especially important to Bonaire’s breeding population. In the last several years we have tracked a total of 6 turtles to these waters off Nicaragua and Honduras.

‘Wiske’ is traveling at a daily rate of 95 km and is currently 1520 km from Klein Bonaire.

July 28th, 2008

‘Wiske’, the female Loggerhead, is continuing on to the west and is currently 320 km off the coast of Nicaragua. She is traveling at a daily rate of slightly over 80 km. She has covered 190 km since the last update and is 1330 km from Klein Bonaire.

July 26th, 2008

We are now receiving signals on a more regular basis from ‘Wiske’, a very positive development. ‘Wiske’ is now traveling at a rate of 110 km per day. Since the last update she has covered approximately 180 km and is now over 1150 km from her starting point on Klein Bonaire. The coast of Nicaragua is just over 500 km to the west.

July 24th, 2008

Several more signals were received from ‘Wiske’ late last night and this morning. Since the last update, our female Loggerhead has covered just under 180 km and is traveling at a daily rate of approximately 90 km. She has veered slightly to the south and is headed toward the Central American coast. She is currently 980 km from Klein Bonaire.

July 22th, 2008

Since our last report to you, one solitary signal has been received from ‘Wiske’ and that signal was captured only within the last hour. I suspect that ‘Wiske’s antenna is damaged but still capable of transmitting intermittently.

‘Wiske’ has turned to the west and is headed toward Nicaragua. Over the years, we have had a number of our turtles return to the coast there. Since our last report, ‘Wiske’ has traveled 410 km and is currently about 810 km from Klein Bonaire.

Should we receive additional data, we will keep you updated.

July 20th, 2008

As you can see from the map it has been quite a while since we have received any signals from ‘Wiske’, our female Loggerhead. Over the last several days the weather over the Caribbean has been very unsettled as a number of tropical waves moved through one after the other. Trying to stay optimistic, I had hoped that the bad weather was forcing ‘Wiske’ to surface less frequently and for very short periods of time, thereby explaining the lack of signals. For the most part, the weather has cleared and we should have received signals by now. There are any number of possible explanations for the loss of signal with the failure of the transmitter’s antenna being the most likely.

If circumstances change we will keep you posted.

July 15th, 2008

Female Loggerhead ‘Wiske’ continues moving to the northwest traveling at a rate of approximately 95 km per day. Currently she is northwest of Aruba, approximately 350 km from her starting point on Klein Bonaire.

July 13th, 2008

‘Wiske’ continues swimming to the northwest at a leisurely rate of slightly more than 4 km per hour. Currently she is north of Aruba, just over 180 km from Klein Bonaire.

July 12th, 2008

The prediction that ‘Wiske’, our female Loggerhead, would stick around for at least another week appears to have been off base. It looks like ‘Wiske’ departed for her home foraging grounds sometime around sunset on July 10.

Signals from her satellite transmitter have her approximately 50 km from Klein Bonaire, just to the north of Curacao. She is headed in a northwesterly direction.

July 8th, 2008: Female Loggerhead 'Wiske' is still off Klein Bonaire

Female Loggerhead 'Wiske' is still hanging out around Ebo's Special off Klein Bonaire. We think she laid a nest during the middle of last week. That would mean she will be here for at least one more week assuming she lays only one more nest. Typically, Loggerhead's nest approximately once every 14 days. We will keep you posted.

^ 'Wiske' resting on the bottom at Ebo's Special

June 20th, 2008: Female loggerhead 'Wiske' is the first turtle to be tracked in Bonaire's 2008 nesting season

Sea turtles have started to breed on Bonaire again, which means that the big adult turtles are back on the reefs of Klein Bonaire and along Bonaire’s southwest coast. Adult turtles come to Klein Bonaire for only a few months every 2 to 3 years, migrating from their feeding grounds far away. To adequately protect sea turtles in all their habitats, we must learn more about their migratory patterns, their behavior at sea, and where their marine habitats are located. This is where the technology of satellite telemetry becomes useful and important in protecting sea turtles.

Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) plans to place two transmitters on turtles in 2008. On June 19, the first of these transmitters was attached on a large adult female loggerhead turtle. This animal was found resting just off the dive site “Knife” at Klein Bonaire, then caught by STCB staff and volunteers and lifted on board the research boat “Nancy Too” for transmitter attachment.

The female loggerhead has a shell length of 96 cm and is estimated to weigh about 120 kg. Adult loggerhead turtles come to Bonaire to breed from May through July. The turtle is expected to remain in the area and lay two or more nests before departing to her home feeding grounds.

Tracking of this loggerhead turtle is being made possible by a full sponsorship provided by the Rotterdam Zoo. The Zoo has decided to call her ‘Wiske’.

Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire exists to ensure the protection and recovery of Bonaire's sea turtle populations throughout their range. Founded in 1992, the STCB is a Bonaire-based, non-governmental and non-profit organization, part of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network.

On the picture: volunteers Tina Lindeken and Ralph "Moogie" Stuart releasing 'Wiske'