Ashkelon

Israel Sea Turtle Tracking Project 2008: Loggerhead & Green Turtles

A project of Israel's Sea Turtle Rescue Center.

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Species: Green Turtle
Life Stage: Adult
Gender: Female
Release Date: 2009-06-27 01:00:00
Release Location: Haifa coast
Last Location: 2009-08-21 00:28:56

Background

Ashkelon is the third nesting sea turtle attached with a satellite transmitter this nesting season, and the second adult female green sea turtle to be tracked this way this summer. Having two tracked adult female green turtles, out of an estimation of about ten nesting ones is simply magnificent. Now we can learn about their migration routes and whereabouts during the nesting intervals.

In the 2008 nesting season, 16 green sea turtle nests have been counted in Israel. In the past 14 years (during the years 1994-2008), 125 green sea turtle nests have been observed in Israel. Ashkelon, named like the coastal national park where she came to nest at night, most likely nests about three times every three years, like the rest of her species.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority manages an action plan in which each morning during the nesting season, the rangers scan the beaches. When they find a nest, they relocate it to a hatchery in a protected beach. The eggs that Ashkelon laid the night when the satellite transmitter was attached to her carapace were relocated as well for their protection. By learning more about Ashkelon's activities and location we will collect more knowledge to support sea turtle conservation.