Table 3_Abundance, distribution, and origins of hawksbill sea turtles on the nearshore Atlantic reefs of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.xlsx

However, baseline data concerning the abundance and distribution of hawksbills in the Florida Keys are lacking. Between 2015-2024, over 280 hours of in-water snorkeling surveys on the shallow coral reefs (<10 m) in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) from Key Largo (25.4276N, 80.1246W) through Key West (24.4463N, 81.9268W) resulted in the hand-capture of 76 hawksbill turtles (mean straight carapace length 39.3 cm (range 19.3 - 63.5 cm).

Growth rates among re-captured turtles averaged 6.3 cm yr^-1 (range 2.5-10.2 cm yr^-1, n = 12). Among the seventeen distinct Caribbean haplotypes identified via mtDNA, mixed-stock analyses revealed a significant but weakening bias toward representatives of Mexican rookeries coupled with indications of increasing diversity over time. It is apparent the shallow reefs of the FKNMS represent valuable entry points for post oceanic-stage hawksbills establishing themselves in the State’s neritic habitats and should be regarded as critical to sustaining the long-term presence of this highly imperiled species in Florida waters.</p>