Proceedings of the 17th Annual ISTS: migration

The presence of loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta, in the Gulf of California and eastern Pacific has been considered enigmatic. No nesting is known to occur, however genetic affinities have been established among eastern Pacific loggerheads and those nesting in Japan and Australia. In July of 1993, a flipper tagged loggerhead turtle was released into the eastern Pacific Ocean and recovered 478 days later in Japanese waters. In August of 1996, a second loggerhead was equipped with a satellite transmitter and is currently within 350 miles of the Hawaiian Islands. Evidence from these two turtles suggests that loggerheads may commonly traverse the Pacific Ocean.