The Ocean Foundation

Project Synopsis: Collecting Sea Turtle Genetic Samples to Contribute to Conservation and Management Planning and Improve Stock Assessments and Status Reviews Sea Turtles Are Important Components of Healthy Ocean and Coral Reef Ecosystems as Predators, Prey, and as Ecosystem Engineers, Distributing Nutrients Across Reefs and Beaches. to Effectively Assess the Global or Regional Status of Sea Turtles, It Is Important to Understand Stock Structure, Delineate Stock Boundaries and to Assess Population-specific Threats Such as Bycatch That May Affect Populations. the Best Way to Accomplish This Is to Use Genetic Techniques, as They Offer Insights Into the Population That Cannot Be Gained in Any Other Way. Genetic Analysis of Sea Turtle Populations Has Allowed Researchers to Delineate Stocks Globally, Leading to Updated Recovery Plans Specific to Particular Countries and to Inform Designations by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) So They Can Update Red List Specie