@article{5073,
  keywords = {Conservation, Sea turtles, Bycatch, Vocalizations, Acoustic},
  author = {Damien Chevallier and Léo Maucourt and Isabelle Charrier and Pierre Lelong and Yves Le Gall and Eric Menut and Bryan Wallace and Cyrielle Delvenne and Orsolya Vincze and Lorène Jeantet and Marc Girondot and Jordan Martin and Ouvéa Bourgeois and Muriel Lepori and Pascal Fournier and Christine Fournier-Chambrillon and Sidney Régis and Nicolas Lecerf and Fabien Lefebvre and Nathalie Aubert and Mosiah Arthus and Matthieu Pujol and Michel Nalovic and Nicolas Moulanier and Marie-Clémence Burg and Pascale Chevallier and Tao Chevallier and Anthony Landreau and Stéphane Meslier and Eugène Larcher and Yvon Le Maho},
  title = {The response of sea turtles to vocalizations opens new perspectives to reduce their bycatch},
  abstract = {Incidental capture of non-target species poses a pervasive threat to many marine species, with sometimes devastating consequences for both fisheries and conservation efforts. Because of the well-known importance of vocalizations in cetaceans, acoustic deterrents have been extensively used for these species. In contrast, acoustic communication for sea turtles has been considered negligible, and this question has been largely unexplored. Addressing this challenge therefore requires a comprehensive understanding of sea turtles’ responses to sensory signals. In this study, we scrutinized the avenue of auditory cues, specifically the natural sounds produced by green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Martinique, as a potential tool to reduce bycatch. We recorded 10 sounds produced by green turtles and identified those that appear to correspond to alerts, flight or social contact between individuals. Subsequently, these turtle sounds—as well synthetic and natural (earthquake) sounds—were presented to turtles in known foraging areas to assess the behavioral response of green turtles to these sounds. Our data highlighted that the playback of sounds produced by sea turtles was associated with alert or increased the vigilance of individuals. This therefore suggests novel opportunities for using sea turtle sounds to deter them from fishing gear or other potentially harmful areas, and highlights the potential of our research to improve sea turtles populations’ conservation.},
  year = {2024},
  journal = {Scientific reports},
  volume = {14},
  month = {07/2024},
  url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-67501-z#citeas},
  doi = {10.1038/s41598-024-67501-z },
  language = {eng},
}