Okinawa Turtle Spotters
Okinawa is home to three species of endangered sea turtles, green turtles (青海亀, Chelonia mydas), hawksbills (タイマイ, Eretmochelys imbricata) and loggerheads (赤海亀, Caretta caretta). Research on the population structure of Okinawa’s sea turtles is currently very limited.
Churamura Sea Turtle Conservation aims to change that by creating Japan’s largest sea turtle photo identification database.
This database of resident and itinerant sea turtles can then be used to study distribution, population and community structure, migration patterns and habitat use. In time, we will be able to monitor the biodiversity and the stability of local populations and identify locations that are important to conserve for these sea creatures.
The Turtle Spotters Project - a photo database of Okinawa's sea turtles
CITIZEN SCIENCE
The waters around Okinawa attract many people with an interest in the large variety of colorful organisms living in a sub-tropical reef ecosystem. Photos taken in this environment are not only a memento of a remarkable encounter, but can also serve as an important record of an individual turtle at a specific time and location, providing essential data that contributes to monitoring and protecting sea turtle populations. The Okinawa Turtle Spotters project depends on such photos from the general public, making anyone who helps by submitting a photo – whether diving instructors, recreational divers and snorkelers, and visiting tourists – ‘citizen scientists’.
PHOTO IDENTIFICATION
Did you know – the pattern of scales on a sea turtle’s face are as unique for turtles as fingerprints for us? This makes them usable as a unique ID for individual sea turtles.
We take the photos submitted by citizen scientists and enter them, together with location and other relevant information, into the Internet of Turtles database (Wild Me). We can then run the photos through the associated pattern recognition software to see if there is a match among the turtles already in the database. The Okinawa Turtle Spotters team examines the matches and allocates the turtle an ID, either adding the encounter to a previously-seen turtle or giving the individual a new ID.
INITIAL RESULTS
The Okinawa Turtle Spotters project began in early 2022. Since then, we have received over 370 submissions, which have enabled us to identify 148 unique sea turtles.
We have compiled the data collected from Okinawa Turtle Spotters into an interactive map where you can see exactly what turtles have been seen off the coast of Okinawa.
Certain of these sea turtles have been seen in the same area for the past two years, since the start of the project. One has been re-sighted 14 times! We have also had submissions of turtles with injuries, missing limbs, and with a disease known as fibropapilloma.
While it is still too early to come to any conclusions about Okinawan sea turtles, the continued support of this project by citizen scientists into the future will make this possible.
What this means for future sea turtles
CONSERVATION
Observations around population diversity are only the start. The database will allow us to identify coastal areas which are important to the local sea turtle populations, whether for nesting, foraging, breeding or just resting. Better understanding of this enables more effective conservation, for example by allowing regional governments to make informed decisions about locations for coastal development.
We have compiled the data collected from Okinawa Turtle Spotters into an interactive map where you can see exactly what turtles have been seen off the coast of Okinawa
Become a Turtle Spotter!
Your participation in this project is very welcome! You can submit photos to our Facebook group or our LINE account ‘Turtle Spotters’
If you have any questions, you can email us at turtlespotters(at)churamura.org
We have the following guidelines for photos:
Please include:
- One of the side of the head, with a clear view of the scales (preferably the left side)
- The location and the date of the encounter
If possible:
- Both sides of the face, other angles
- Any visible tags
- Any visible injury
- Describe the behavior (resting, feeding, swimming, etc)
Most importantly, we ask that you respect the sea turtles and their space when swimming with them!
If you submit photos of a turtle not already in our database, we will offer you the chance to give it a nickname! For those that don’t spend much time underwater, we also can also offer you the chance to name a turtle; please contact us to enquire about this.
Support Our Work Today
Currently our whole operations are supported by individual supporter / company donations, product sales, paid appearances / presentations, summer camp revenue, and conservation tours.
Donations will go towards nest protection and rescue/ranger equipment, infrastructure, education programs, and research while allowing us to continue to share these special moments with you the public.
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