Post-nesting migrations patterns of Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) from the Egyptian Red Sea

In order to identify the migratory pathways and foraging grounds of post-nesting Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Red Sea, we attached satellite transmitters to four females immediately after egg deposition and tracked them between 207 and 647 days. We identified four geographically distinct post-nesting habitat areas and migration paths from Zabargad Island, Egypt which was remarkable given our small sample size. Our shortest migration was 140 km and the longest 940 km, with the migrations and post-nesting habitat encompassing the boundaries of four of the seven Red Sea countries (Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, and Saudi Arabia). The post-nesting habitats were located in shallow coastal habitat and three consisted of near-shore archipelagos. Two turtles moved past areas of suitable post-nesting habitat that was occupied by other turtles, which suggests that these turtles may be exhibiting fidelity to certain feeding and nesting sites. Our results suggest that regional and multi-national cooperation will be needed to protect sea turtles that nest on Zabargad Island, a nesting site that is important for Egypt and other Red Sea nations.