Chevallier Damien, Maucourt Léo, Charrier Isabelle, Lelong Pierre, Le Gall Yves, Menut Eric, Wallace Bryan, Delvenne Cyrielle, Vincze Orsolya, Jeantet Lorène, Girondot Marc, Martin Jordan, Bourgeois Ouvéa, Lepori Muriel, Fournier Pascal, Fournier-Chambrillon Christine, Régis Sidney, Lecerf Nicolas, Lefebvre Fabien, Aubert Nathalie, Arthus Mosiah, Pujol Matthieu, Nalovic Michel Anthony, Nicolas Moulanier, Burg Marie-Clémence, Chevallier Pascale, Chevallier Tao, Landreau Antony, Meslier Stéphane, Larcher Eugène, Le Maho Yvon
BOREA Research Unit, Laboratoire de Biologie des Organismes et des Ecosystèmes Aquatiques, MNHN, CNRS 8067, SU, IRD 207, UCN, UA, Station de Recherche Marine de Martinique, Quartier Degras, Petite Anse, 97217, Les Anses d'Arlet, France.
Université des Antilles, Campus de Schoelcher, 97275, Schoelcher Cedex, France.
Sci Rep. 2024 Jul 17;14(1):16519. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-67501-z.
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.
非目标物种的意外捕获对许多海洋物种构成了普遍威胁，有时会给渔业和保护工作带来毁灭性后果。由于发声在鲸类动物中具有众所周知的重要性，声学威慑手段已被广泛用于这些物种。相比之下，海龟的声学交流一直被认为微不足道，这一问题在很大程度上尚未得到探索。因此，应对这一挑战需要全面了解海龟对感官信号的反应。在本研究中，我们仔细研究了听觉线索途径，特别是马提尼克岛绿海龟（蠵龟）发出的自然声音，将其作为减少副渔获物的一种潜在工具。我们记录了绿海龟发出的10种声音，并识别出那些似乎对应于个体之间的警报、逃避或社交接触的声音。随后，这些海龟声音以及合成声音和自然声音（地震声）被播放给已知觅食区域的海龟，以评估绿海龟对这些声音的行为反应。我们的数据突出表明，播放海龟发出的声音与个体的警觉或警惕性提高有关。因此，这表明利用海龟声音阻止它们靠近渔具或其他潜在有害区域存在新的机会，并突出了我们的研究在改善海龟种群保护方面的潜力。
