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Juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the effluent discharge channel of a steel plant, Espírito Santo, Brazil, 2000–2006

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 August 2009

Evelise Torezani ,
Cecília Baptistotte ,
Sérgio L. Mendes  and
Paulo C.R. Barata
Evelise Torezani*
Affiliation:
Projeto TAMAR–ICMBio, Avenida Paulino Muller 1111, Vitória—ES, 29040-715Brazil
Cecília Baptistotte
Affiliation:
Projeto TAMAR–ICMBio, Avenida Paulino Muller 1111, Vitória—ES, 29040-715Brazil
Sérgio L. Mendes
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Avenida Marechal Campos 1468–Maruípe, Vitória—ES, 29040-090Brazil
Paulo C.R. Barata
Affiliation:
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Leopoldo Bulhões 1480-8A, Rio de Janeiro—RJ, 21041-210Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Evelise Torezani, Projeto TAMAR–ICMBio, Avenida Paulino Muller 1111, Vitória—ES, 29040-715Brazil email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study, carried out from August 2000 to July 2006, began out of the recognition of a special ecological situation, when an aggregation of juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) was found inside the effluent discharge channel of a steel plant located near Vitória, the State of Espírito Santo capital, eastern Brazil. The green turtles were captured through either cast nets or a set net or by hand (one turtle was captured alive on one of the channel banks); after data collection, they were released back into the discharge channel. Information is here reported on the temporal pattern of occurrence, size-classes, residency, presence of tumours and growth rates of tumoured and non-tumoured green turtles in the study area. A total of 640 individual green turtles were captured in the six years; 448 of them were captured just once, and 192 were captured two or more times. Curved carapace length ranged between 25.2 and 77.5 cm. Among the captured green turtles, 59.1% were classified as being in normal body condition and without any tumours, 6.6% were either underweight or emaciated but without any tumours, and 34.4% had tumours, with different levels of the tumour severity score.

Keywords

CheloniidaeChelonia mydasgrowthresidencyhealthtumoursfibropapillomatosisTAMARBrazil
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 90 , Issue 2 , March 2010 , pp. 233 - 246
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2009

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