Lighthouse Reef Atoll - Belize Audubon Society
In collaboration with the Belize Fisheries Department, Hawksbill Hope & Marymount University have made it possible for the Belize Audubon Society to tag the first nesting turtles (a loggerhead and a hawksbill) at Lighthouse and the first nesting loggerhead in Belize! All three common species of turtle nest on Half Moon Caye and interestingly anecdotal reports have green sea turtles basking on the sandy beaches during the daytime! As a result of this collaboration two of the species have been tagged, the only species left to tag is a green sea turtle.
2016 - BEACON OF HOPE
Beacon of Hope represents several firsts for satellite telemetry studies in Belize. She is
- the first nesting loggerhead sea turtle ever satellite tagged in Belize!
- the first nesting turtle from Lighthouse Reef Atoll satellite tagged in Belize!
- the first nesting turtle satellite tagged at Half Moon Caye!
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After leaving Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Beacon of Hope travelled to the South Water Caye Marine Reserve before heading to Honduras and the Mosquito Shore. Her tag only lasted 79 days, but she traveled 593 km and showed us new migration routes of loggerheads nesting on Half Moon Caye.
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2016 - WABAKI HOPE 4 BAS
WABAKI - Hope 4 BAS - was tagged by Belize Audubon Society staff and intern Mark Rimkus just after she completed nesting on Half Moon Caye. Wabaki is the first nesting hawksbill tagged at Lighthouse Reef!
The migration path of Wabaki reveals she traveled northward over deep seas to Chinchorro Bank then along the Yucatan Peninsula to Punta Allen, where she reversed her direction and followed the Belize Barrier Reef and ended up foraging in the Port Honduras Marine Reserve, managed by TIDE.
The migration path of Wabaki reveals she traveled northward over deep seas to Chinchorro Bank then along the Yucatan Peninsula to Punta Allen, where she reversed her direction and followed the Belize Barrier Reef and ended up foraging in the Port Honduras Marine Reserve, managed by TIDE.
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