Experiment On dummy PTTS attachment with turtles in captivity

Abstract

Since detachment of Platform Transmitter Terminals (PTTs) from the carapace of sea turtle will result in missing location signals, a study was conducted to investigate their durability on captive turtles maintained at the Sea Turtle Conservation Station at Mannai Island, Rayong Province, Thailand in 2001. Four dummy PTTs were attached to the turtles using techniques and materials that were identical to those employed in actual field satellite tracking studies. The results showed that the dummy PTTs could stay intact on the carapace up to 115 and 240 days. Hence even the shortest duration in this experiment exceeded the time period for which the last signals were received from the longest staying PTT model KiwiSatlO1 in field studies. Antennas which were positioned posteriorly appeared less likely to be damaged. Further the carbon fiber sheets used in all dummy PTTs started to fray within 30-60 days. Thus, it was concluded that apart from deploying the PTTs with the antenna in the posterior position and improvements in the carbon fiber materials used, the current method was appropriate for field studies.