Sea Aggie/RRC667

TAMUG Green Turtle Tracking

A project of TAMUG Sea Turtle and Fisheries Ecology Research Lab.

click map for full-size version RRC667 is a subadult green sea turtle that was outfitted and released in the Lower Laguna Madre, Texas with a Sirtrack KiwiSat 202 transmitter on 2 August 2006. Please note that there is a degree of error in satellite tracking and that points appearing on land are probably inaccurate.

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Species: Green Turtle
Life Stage: Juvenile
Gender: Unknown
Release Date: 2006-08-03 03:14:00
Release Location: South Padre Island, Texas
Last Location: 2007-04-13 19:00:00

Adoptive Parents:
Kathryn Lancaster
Dannika Julson

Background

RRC667 ("Sea Aggie") is a juvenile green sea turtle that was outfitted and released with a Sirtrack KiwiSat 202 transmitter on 2 August 2006. This turtle was captured during STFERL entanglement netting operations in the Lower Laguna Madre off the southern portion of South Padre Island, Texas, as part of a two-year study funded by Texas Sea Grant to examine the distribution of sea turtles in Texas bays. This is one of twelve green turtles captured during STFERL netting on 2 August, and one of two released with a satellite transmitter on that day.

This turtle has been nicknamed "Sea Aggie" in reference to the mascot of TAMUG. Special thanks go once again to the Coast Guard Station on South Padre Island, which provided space to process and attach satellite transmitters to both "Sea Aggie" and "Poopsie" on 2 August 2006.

Update: “Sea Aggie” was found stranded dead on a La Pesca, Mexico beach in late March 2007. This turtle had migrated south into Mexican waters in response to falling water temperatures in Texas’ lower Laguna Madre during December 2006. Sea Aggie was found by patrollers monitoring Kemp’s ridley nesting activity near Rancho Nuevo, Mexico. Cause of death is unknown. Its satellite tag was recovered and returned to the STFERL by Mr. Jaime Peña of the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas. Satellite tracking data generated by Sea Aggie provide valuable information on habitat use and seasonal movements of green turtles in the western Gulf of Mexico. Its satellite tag will be redeployed on a new turtle during summer 2007.