Argentinian coastal waters: A temperate habitat for three species of threatened sea turtles

Abstract Three out of the five threatened species of sea turtle occurring in the SW Atlantic Ocean are regularly found in the coastal waters of Argentina: green (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) turtles. From 1995 to 2008, fishery and beach surveys were carried out along 2800 km coastline and reports from the public were gathered. Incidental capture in artisanal fisheries and strandings suggest that an important concentration of these species occurs in the estuarine, highly productive areas of Samborombon Bay (35°30′S–36°30′S) and El Rincon (39°S–41°S), although green and loggerhead turtles were also recorded as far south as northern Patagonian waters (42°35′S–64°17′W). Depending on the species, different age classes use these temperate areas probably as foraging grounds: small juvenile green turtles, juvenile to adult loggerheads and adult leatherbacks. All three species are mainly captured in small-scale, gillnet fisheries. This information provides an...