. Urban coastal ecosystems are unique intersections of human development and biodiversity, and monitoring populations in these areas is critical to understanding ecosystem health and function. Three highly urbanized estuary systems, San Diego Bay, San Gabriel River, and Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge (all in California), are the northernmost foraging habitats for green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ) in the Eastern Pacific. Here, we report blood biochemistry and morphological parameters for these Southern California green sea turtle foraging aggregations to investigate the current health status of these animals and provide baseline values for future work. Morphometric and blood biochemistry parameters for green turtles captured in this study ( n = 39) were clinically reasonable and were generally consistent with previously reported parameters for green turtles.

Here we report on a newly discovered nesting population of east Pacific green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ) in northwest Costa Rica at San José Island, Murciélago Archipelago, that rivals those of Mexico and the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. A total of 1232 individual green turtles were tagged over 4 nesting seasons (2012–2013 to 2015–2016). Mean (± SD) annual number of nests (1077 ± 414; range, 490–1698 nests) and females (306 ± 133; range, 164–466 females) was higher than those previously reported for Pacific Costa Rica. The number of deposited nests was similar to that registered on the Galápagos main beaches, but density of nests (number of nests/km) was the second highest for any green turtle beach in the eastern Pacific. Reproductive output was similar (mean clutch frequency: 4.4 ± 2.2 clutches and mean clutch size: 75.8 ± 14.6 eggs/clutch), and mean hatching success was higher (0.89 ± 0.14) than those reported at other sites in the eastern Pacific. Because the study site was located on an island within a protected area, several of the common threats that sea turtles face at more accessible mainland sites (i.e., egg poaching, tourist development, and predation by large mammals) were absent. Our data indicate that San José Island is the most important nesting site for east Pacific green turtles in Central America. The large size of this population, along with its isolated and protected status, suggest that this rookery is making a significant contribution to the conservation of east Pacific green turtles. Additional information at the country level will help determine the relative importance of Costa Rica for green turtle nesting in the broad eastern Pacific region.

ABSTRACT Since 1943, a total of 40 leatherbacks have been documented in neritic and offshore waters of the Gulf of California, Mexico: 13 as fisheries by-catch, 11 in indigenous ceremonies, 8 coastal strandings, 4 at-sea sightings, 3 observed by fishing fleets, and 1 via satellite telemetry. Leatherback hatchlings were observed on 3 occasions in the northern Gulf of California. The range of curved carapace lengths for nonhatchling leatherbacks was 113 to 160 cm curved carapace length (mean = 139 ± 12 cm). All but 1 leatherback were reported between November and May, a period of cooler water temperatures for the region.