Leatherback Turtles Monitored in the Atlantic

London, Jan 6. -Leatherback turtles travel more than 7,000 km in the South Atlantic Sea from breeding areas to food sources, according to the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

During that trip the turtles cross fishing areas, putting them at risk of becoming trapped in nets and hooks, said experts at the University of Exeter, Britain, based on a five-year tracking of female turtles

The monitoring was carried out from the world's largest area of procreation, in Gabon, to feeding areas in the South Atlantic Sea, a 7, 563 km journey, researchers said.

Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) stay five years in feeding places to accumulate sufficient reserves before returning to breeding areas.

The scientists identified three migratory routes from Central Africa to Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and along the coast of southern Africa. Leatherback turtles are more abundant in the Atlantic than in the Pacific, where populations have dramatically declined in the last three decades, a problem believed to be caused by the collection of turtle eggs and coastal fishing. (Prensa Latina)