EXPRESS & ECHO (Exeter, UK) 30 April 07 Turtle Conservation Efforts Bring Rewards
Conservation efforts may have boosted the number of turtles visiting waters off the South West coast, Exeter University academics have found.
A study by biologists from the university's Tremough Campus, Penryn, analysed 100 years of data, which showed an increase in turtle sightings in UK waters, including off the South West coast.
They worked with staff from Marine Environmental Monitoring to find an increase in the number of loggerhead and Kemp's Ridley turtles in UK and French waters in the last 20 years.
Across the South West peninsula, 333 turtle sightings were recorded over the last century. Almost half of all turtle sightings in UK waters were off the coast of Cornwall, which has a recorded 225 sightings in the last 100 years.
The most frequently sighted turtle species are leatherbacks, which are mainly seen in the summer, though during the winter hard-shelled species including Kemp's Ridley turtles and loggerheads are seen.
University biologist Matthew Witt said: "Following a severe decline as a result of human activity in the first half of the last century, we can now see the positive effect that recent conservation efforts have had.
"Though numbers are increasing, it is still incredibly rare and special to see a marine turtle."
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