In the early morning of Saturday, March 22, 2014, a leatherback turtle came ashore to nest on Grande Riviere beach on the north coast of Trinidad. While hundreds of leatherbacks use this nesting beach every year, the arrival of this particular turtle, Margaret, was received with great excitement, as she was the subject of a satellite tracking study spanning the past seven months that has been followed online with great interest by hundreds of people worldwide.
"We are thrilled that the team at Grande Riviere was able to find Margaret," said Dr Mike James of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. "Many of the leatherbacks that come to Canada are from Trinidad. We are proud of the long-term collaborations we have had with conservation groups in Trinidad through the programmes at Grande Riviere and at Matura Beach with the help of Dr Scott Eckert, director of science for the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network."
Margaret was equipped with a satellite-linked tag in waters off Nova Scotia, Canada, by Dr James and the Canadian Sea Turtle Network. When she was captured in Canada, the flipper tags and a microchip in her shoulder identified her as a Trinidad nester, last recorded at Grand Riviere in 2011.
Margaret's ensuing 15,000 kilometre track ended in Trinidad, where she hovered off Grand Riviere beach before coming ashore to deposit her first clutch of eggs. When Margaret settled off the north coast of Trinidad during the week of March 17, it became evident that she would likely nest and the goal was to recover her satellite tag at the earliest opportunity.
It took a combined effort from members of the Grande Riviere Nature Tour Guide Association, contracted by the Forestry Division and Turtle Village Trust, to maintain a vigil at the beach over four nights to ensure that the turtle was found. Margaret's movements were being followed by scientists and other interested individuals and organisations from all parts of the world (canadaseaturtle.wordpress.com).
The greatest fear was that she would be caught in a net in local waters and lose her transmitter; however, she survived and is expected to stay in Trinidad for another two months as she completes her nesting cycle before heading back to her feeding grounds in Canada.
Turtle watcher
Sangre Grande