Mixed stock analysis of juvenile green turtles aggregating at two foraging grounds in Fiji reveals major contribution from the American Samoa Management Unit

Piovano, Susanna and Batibasaga, Aisake and Ciriyawa, Ana and LaCasella, Erin L. and Hutton, Peter H. (2019) Mixed stock analysis of juvenile green turtles aggregating at two foraging grounds in Fiji reveals major contribution from the American Samoa Management Unit. Scientific Reports, 9 (3150). TBC. ISSN 2045-2322

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Abstract

In this study we assessed the breeding population, or Management Unit (MU), origin of green turtles
(Chelonia mydas) present at Yadua Island and Makogai Island foraging grounds in Fiji, central South
Pacific. Based on analysis of mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequences from 150 immature green turtles
caught during surveys carried out in 2015–2016, we identified a total of 18 haplotypes, the most
common being CmP22.1 (44%) which is a primary haplotype characterizing the American Samoa
breeding population. Results of a Bayesian mixed-stock analysis reveals that the two foraging grounds
are used by green turtles from the American Samoa MU (72%, Credible Interval (CI): 56–87%), New
Caledonia MU (17%, CI: 6–26%) and French Polynesia MU (7%, CI: 0–23%). The prominence of the
contribution we found from the American Samoa MU compared to that of French Polynesia, both which
have historic telemetry and tagging data showing connectivity with Fijian foraging areas, may reflect
the current relative abundance of these two nesting populations and draws attention to a need to
update population surveys and identify any significant nesting in Fiji that may have been overlooked.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Additional Information:	First published online 2019
Subjects:	Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology
Divisions:	Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment (FSTE) > School of Marine Studies
Depositing User:	Fulori Nainoca - Waqairagata
Date Deposited:	01 Apr 2019 22:22
Last Modified:	01 Apr 2019 22:22
URI:	https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/11432

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