Ray Carthy, Karen Bjorndal, Blair Witherington

Dr. Karen Bjorndal was presented with her #SERSTM2025 Lifetime Achievement Award by Ray Carthy and Blair Witherington in Gainesville this weekend at a gathering to honor her retirement from the University of Florida last month.

The opportunity to network with professionals in the field helps our team gain valuable knowledge and collaborate, and contribute to ongoing sea turtle conservation efforts.

#gcstr #everybodyrow #sharethegulf #saveseaturtles #sayyestoseaturtles #communityimpact #serstm2025

Anyone else get post conference blues?! 🙋🏼‍♀️🥺 I’m channeling my #SERSTM2025 energy into #internationaldayofwomenandgirlsinscience and doing a happy dance for the turtle ladies that started 🐢 conservation before it was cool 😎

Oops, I meant to type: please *test* yourself. #SERSTM2025

#SERSTM2025 folks, please rest yourself for COVID. I know of two positive cases among my colleagues: one very symptomatic and the other asymptomatic.

Hannah Vander Zanden holds Karen Bjorndal’s Award Plaque.

Congratulations to Dr. Karen Bjorndal on receiving the Southeast Regional Sea Turtle Network Lifetime Achievement Award!

Karen recently retired, and Hannah Vander Zanden accepted the award on Karen’s behalf at the #SERSTM2025 closing social.

Congratulations to all the student awards winners at #serstm2025! You are the future of #seaturtle #conservation! 👏🐢👏💚

Satellite tagging of #leatherback #seaturtles lends insight into habitat use. Mitchell Rider of U of Miami developed a model looking at core habitat. #serstm2025

Kemp's ridley #seaturtles are opportunistic feeders and recruit to optimal foraging areas. Theresa Madrigal of IMMS compared turtles that stranded in Massachusetts w/ turtles that stranded in the Gulf of Mexico. Found similar patterns of habitat use. Good to know they don't return to MA! #serstm2025

Florida's #seaturtles are impacted by trap bycatch. Species are impacted differently, by size, age class, fishery location, mortality rate. Rachel Smith of FL Cooperative Research Unit used a mixed methods approach involving looking at #stranding data and interviewing stakeholders. #serstm2025

What is causing seasonal strandings of Kemp's ridley #seaturtles in N Gulf of Mexico? Elizabeth Bevin of U of Miami deployed satellite tags on drifters to analyze if carcasses recovered on the mainland may come from farther offshore than previously modeled. Also compared w/ fisheries. #serstm2025

Sediment fingerprinting allowed comparison of sediment from necropsied stranded #seaturtles that exhibited evidence of forced submergence with possible sources of the sediment. Lindsey Howell of NOAA Fisheries presented this novel fingerprinting technique. Very cool! #serstm2025

Much of accepted #seaturtle life cycle patterns may be based on #loggerheads. Based on satellite tracking of turtles during "lost years," @katrinaphillips.bsky.social suggests we consider a dispersal phase, variations by species. There are management implications re protected habitat. #serstm2025

Fibropapillomatosis has both virology and environmental components. Costanza Manes investigate a variety of factors, including leeches and dissolved oxygen. Found close to 30 pollutants. #serstm2025 #seaturtles

Sea turtles are exposed to a variety of environmental toxins throughout their lifetime. There's a lack of direct caudal effect relationship studies. Celine Godard-Codding established a cell line of ST tissues, thus facilitating toxicology research. #serstm2025 #seaturtles #toxicology

A case study of 14 rehabilitated wash back #hawksbill #seaturtles by Liberty Boyd of National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation documented 2 turtles that demonstrated survival, substantial healthy growth over 3-4 yrs. Initial pigmentation differed from wild turtles, but corrected over time. #serstm2025

The Key West National Wildlife Refuge appears to serve as a recruitment site for juvenile #hawksbill #seaturtles. Interesting project by Larry Wood of National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation studying these elusive turtles. #serstm2025

Maternal age matters for #loggerhead #seaturtle #hatchlings to obtain their navigational instruction. Fascinating research by Jadyn Sethna, Lohmann Lab, UNC-CH #serstm2025

Over washed loggerhead #seaturtle nests in North Carolina do better than those in Alabama, despite more frequent wave exposure. Matt Ware of FGCU compared over wash days between the two states and found that tolerance to inundation may vary by population in #loggerheads. #serstm2025

Kemp's ridley #seaturtle growth rates are highly variable. By examining bones from stranded turtles, Matthew Ramirez of UNCW found that growth rates of small juvenile Kemp's in the Gulf of Mexico have returned to pre-2012 levels, however growth rates in the Atlantic haven't. #serstm2025

Fascinating talk about discovery of fossilized #seaturtle nests given by Gale Bishop. Who knew one could find fossilized evidence of sea turtle nesting from thousands of years ago! #serstm2025 #fossil

It's challenging for home owners who want to, or are required to buy local ordinance, install #wildlifefriendlylighting since products aren't available in stores. Madeleine Khoury of Sea Turtle Conservancy described their efforts to engage manufacturers & stores, & respond to feedback. #serstm2025

Be patient, persistent, and involve stakeholders when working to improve local ordinances about #seaturtle protection (e.g., #wildlifefriendlylighting). Emily Wooley of Sea Turtle Conservancy shared the process of updating ordinances and lessons learned. STC is ready to help! #serstm2025

Kahoot is a fun way to engage volunteers and refresh information! Lauren Roberts demonstrated how she uses education technology to enhance volunteer engagement in #seaturtle #conservation at Myrtle Beach State Park. Fun! #serstm2025 #education

I'm happy to share that the spatial component of my dissertation work on 'lost years' sea turtles is out now!

If you're attending #SERSTM2025 this week, I'll be presenting the highlights in the #MovementEcology session this afternoon. 🌊🐢🗺️

#seaturtle #telemetry #OpenAccess

Satellite tags applied to nesting female #loggerhead #seaturtles allowed Paul Hillebrand & the Bald Head Island Conservancy team to look at habitat use and movement post nesting. Comparison with proposed BOEM #offshorewind sites showed minimal use of those areas. Love seeing the tracks! #serstm2025

Loggerhead #seaturtles use magnetic fields for navigation. Ken Lohmann and colleagues found that #loggerheads can learn to associate food with the magnetic signatures of specific geographic regions. Further, the turtles can retain this info for at least 4 months. Wow! #serstm2025

Stable isotope analysis of #seaturtle #scutes can lend insight into the turtles' movements throughout the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. The development of this technique by Bethan Linscott of UF (now U Miami), can increase understanding of habitat use. Cool! #serstm2025

Sharksuckers (remoras) in the USVI subsist on green #seaturtle feces! Ashley Kusel of UF investigated the relationship between #greenturtles and #sharksuckers. Fascinating - and kind of gross! 🐢💩 #serstm2025

A novel and invasive macroalga, Gracilaria vermiculophylla, is increasingly imperative in the diet of juvenile green #seaturtles in SC, representing 93% of their diet. Joshua Ratay presented the first instance of #greenturtles eating this food. What are the larger implications? #serstm2025