Estimated contribution of Atlantic Coastal loggerhead turtle nesting populations to offshore feeding aggregations

Seasonal feeding grounds for loggerhead sea turtles present relatively unchecked anthropogenic hazards. Commercial fisheries, recreational boating and environmental contamination indirectly threaten subadult feeding areas. The potential effects of these types of threats are difficult to establish without an understanding of the relationship between the feeding areas and individual nesting areas. We perform a mixed stock analysis on seasonal subadult feeding grounds from North Carolina to northern Florida. A total of 216 individuals were captured using either commercial shrimping vessels or vessels with standardized sea turtle trawls. A fragment of the mitochondrial control region was sequenced from each of the individuals and compared with haplotypes at nesting beaches identified previously. Twelve haplotypes were resolved among individuals captured. Mixed stock analysis indicates that the nearby NEFL-NC nesting populations disproportionately contribute to the feeding aggregate and thus perturbations to this feeding ground would weigh most heavily on this nesting area. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]