Tracking Sea Turtles — Nesting green sea turtles are benefiting from marine protected areas by using habitats found within their boundaries, according to a USGS study that was the first to track the federally protected turtles in Dry Tortugas National Park.

Green turtles are endangered in Florida and threatened throughout the rest of their range, and the habits of green sea turtles after their forays to nest on beaches in the Southeast U.S. have long remained a mystery. Until this research, it was not clear whether the turtles made use of existing protected areas, and few details were available as to whether they were suited for supporting the green sea turtle’s survival.

USGS researchers tracked turtles with satellite tags and found they spent much of their time in protected sites within both Dry Tortugas National Park and the surrounding areas of the Florida Keys Marine National Sanctuary.