The Tribune

A LEATHERBACK turtle sponsored by Atlantis, Paradise Island, as part of its marine conservation efforts is aiming to be the fourth winner in five years for the resort in a marathon ‘race’ from its nesting beaches to its foraging grounds.

Calypso Blue V began this year’s Tour de Turtles on August 1- the official start date - off the western Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico after leaving Costa Rica in June. Up to Friday, the turtle has travelled 2,278 miles in 95 days since its release.

Atlantis is sponsoring Calypso Blue V as part of its continued support of marine conservation efforts through the Blue Project. Started in 2008 by Sea Turtle Conservancy, the Tour de Turtles event follows the migration of participating sea turtles in real time using satellite telemetry. This year, four endangered species of sea turtles – loggerhead, leatherback, hawksbill, and green - are being tracked for three months from their nesting beaches to their foraging grounds.

The annual marathon is, according to Sea Turtle Conservancy, meant to be a fun and educational journey through the science, research and geography of sea turtles. It also helps to bring awareness to many of the threats that sea turtles face in the wild through the Causes Challenge.

Like her predeceasers, Calypso Blue V has also taken up the Causes Challenge and her marathon participation is helping to bring awareness to the impacts of commercial trawl fisheries on sea turtles.

Sea turtles can accidentally be captured, injured or killed by commercial trawl fishermen who drag large funnel shaped fishing nets in the water behind their boats. These trawl nets catch all marine life indiscriminately. Turtles can become tangled in the nets and then drown after being held under water for too long and cannot reach the surface for air. They can also sustain internal injuries from hooks or external injuries from entanglement, including strangulation or amputation.

These injuries and deaths take place both while turtles are migrating through fishing areas and in fishing areas that are used as feeding grounds by sea turtles.

Atlantis’ Calypso Blue I, Calypso Blue II and Calypso Blue IV all won the marathon. Calypso Blue V’s progress can be tracked HERE.