The Sultanate of Oman hosts the largest Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta) rookery in the Indian Ocean and was historically estimated as a third of the global stocks of the species. Early population estimates for the major rookery of Masirah Island in the Sultanate of Oman used track count surveys adjusted by an extrapolation of four nests per female as the average clutch frequency. We revisited the rookery to recalibrate a more rigorous estimate of clutch frequency by satellite tracking female loggerheads. We documented an estimated clutch frequency (ECF) for females of 5.5 nests in 2010, 5.2 nests in 2011, and 5.8 nests in 2012. Mean ECF of Loggerhead Turtles on Masirah Island = 5.4 nests ± (SD) 0.87 (range, 4–7 nests, n = 34). The revised ECF makes a -27% correction to earlier population estimates for the loggerhead management unit of the Northwest Indian Ocean. The revised ECF estimate can be combined with monitoring surveys to determine trends within this regional management unit and assess its conservation needs.
The Sultanate of Oman hosts the largest Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta) rookery in the Indian Ocean and was historically estimated as a third of the global stocks of the species. Early population estimates for the major rookery of Masirah Island in the Sultanate of Oman used track count survey...
مادة فرعية