ALBERT

Description:    Satellite transmitters were attached to 25 reproductively active and four inactive adult male loggerhead sea turtles (86.6–107.0 cm SCLmin) captured from the Port Canaveral, FL, USA shipping channel to assess horizontal and vertical distributions. During the breeding period, male loggerheads aggregated (44% of 755 turtle days) in a 117.6 km 2 core area that encompassed the shipping channel. Median dive duration during the breeding period was 27 min (IQR = 15–42 min) and males spent 4% (IQR = 3–5%) of the time at the surface, with significantly shorter dives associated with reproductively active males. Migrant and resident males dispersed concurrently, with residents shifting 〉 30 km east across the continental shelf over a more protracted departure schedule than migrants. Dive duration and time spent at the surface increased through the fall. Cluster analysis revealed the strongest association for dive duration with sea state during and after the breeding period, with significantly longer dives during more turbulent conditions. In contrast, univariate associations with surface interval duration were not elucidated. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s00227-011-1793-5 Authors Michael D. Arendt, Marine Resources Division, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, 217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA Albert L. Segars, Marine Resources Division, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, 217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA Julia I. Byrd, Marine Resources Division, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, 217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA Jessica Boynton, Marine Resources Division, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, 217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA J. David Whitaker, Marine Resources Division, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, 217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA Lindsey Parker, Marine Extension Service, University of Georgia, 715 Bay Street, Brunswick, GA 31520, USA David W. Owens, Grice Marine Laboratory, College of Charleston, 205 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA Gaëlle Blanvillain, Grice Marine Laboratory, College of Charleston, 205 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA Joseph M. Quattro, Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, 715 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA Mark A. Roberts, Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, 715 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA Journal Marine Biology Online ISSN 1432-1793 Print ISSN 0025-3162