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Tagging Turtles

Why do we tag turtles?

There are many reasons why we tag turtles. By tagging turtles with small numbered titanium flipper tags, we can study their migration patterns, estimate how many turtles are currently living in the Pacific region and know which ones are nesting and where they are foraging.

Once this information is collected it is then used to plan how to best monitor and manage the conservation of sea turtles in the Pacific region.

What sort of information is on the tags?

SPREP provides titanium flipper tags to member countries and territories for their national turtle tagging programmes.

Each flipper tag has a one-letter prefix and a series of up to five numbers. This tag number tells us important information about the turtle, like when it was tagged, what country it was released in and even which organization or individual tagged it!

What should I do if I find a tagged turtle?

The most important thing to remember if you find or catch a tagged turtle is do not remove the tags from its flippers. Aside from causing the turtle pain, losing these tags means that the next time this turtle is sighted, we won’t know it’s history and will therefore lose a lot of valuable information.

If you do find or catch a tagged turtle, complete the online tagging form or make sure you write down the following information:

• The tag number
• The date
• How it was caught
• What happened to the turtle

Once you have these details please notify SPREP PO Box 240 Apia, Samoa or your local fisheries or environment office.

If you catch a live turtle while fishing, contact your local fisheries or environment department immediately.

• Find out more about Satellite Tracking here

For more information on tags and tag applicators please contact the Associate Database Officer Catherine Siota catherines@sprep.org or Lui Bell, Marine Species Officer, SPREP: LuiB@sprep.org