Manual for Mass Wire Tagging of Hatchling Sea Turtles and the Detection ofInternal Wire Tags

摘要

Preparation of this manual was motivated by a need for a comprehensive fieldguide covering the application of internal wire tags in the mass tagging of sea turtle hatchlings and the detection of those tags later in the turtle's life. This manual is based primarily on the equipment and techniques used in the mass wire tagging of 3,336 Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) hatchlings on the nesting beach at Rancho Nuevo, Mexico, during August, 1996 (Caillouet et. al., 1997). Although this illustrated manual thoroughly covers all the procedures necessary to successfully tag hatchlings with internal wire tags, it should not be substituted for formal training. This manual has been written assuming that the person(s) conducting the tagging are right handed. The automatic tag injectors are designed and manuactured for use by right handed persons. Left handed persons may achieve satisfactory results by holding the tagger upside down but this is not recommended.