From left: SCCF Coastal Wildlife Director Kelly Sloan, Conservation Technologist at Hammerhead Technology Corrie Presland-Byrne, and SCCF Sea Turtle Biologist Jack Brzoza.

Thanks to Sanibel-based Hammerhead Technology, SCCF has launched a website that tracks satellite-tagged sea turtles, with the eventual research goal of learning more about how water temperature impacts their migration routes and foraging behavior.

Click here to view the website.

“A lot of the research on sea turtles is conducted while they’re nesting because they’re much easier to access on beaches, but since they spend most of their lives at sea, there is still so much we don’t know,” said SCCF Coastal Wildlife Director Kelly Sloan. “Satellite tags provide location data for the turtles even when they aren’t observed again on the nesting beach, which allows us to track their movements at sea.”

Next summer, SCCF will expand the location tracking with tags that also record depth and temperature, providing even more information about the turtle’s environment and behavior.

One of Hammerhead’s key contributors is Corrie Presland-Byrne, who has a master’s degree in Conservation Technology and leads Hammerhead’s conservation technology practice. She first met Sloan in 2017 as an intern at CROW when sea turtles were brought to the rehabilitation clinic due to injury or sickness.

This spring, they reconnected to see how Hammerhead’s GIS (Geographic Information System) solutions and global work in conservation technology could possibly serve SCCF’s sea turtle program.

“We brainstormed with Kelly on how our work could benefit her team’s sea turtle research,” said Presland-Byrne. “The idea of the public turtle tracker website came to life, and we were more than happy to donate our services.”

SCCF funded the cost of the satellite tags through fundraising at Nest Fest and Hammerhead generously donated the time to create the website.

Founded by Sanibel resident Peter Presland-Byrne, Hammerhead partners with nonprofits, governments, and industry clients across the U.S. and Latin America to design and deliver software solutions.

One of their most recognized efforts is work in wildlife conservation using GIS technology and custom traceability solutions, including reducing the risk of howler monkey electrocution on power lines in Costa Rica. 

“I’ve spent several years in the field, including Costa Rica, and have done much of our work abroad,” said Presland-Byrne. “We are proud to be part of the Sanibel community and are committed to using technology for the greater good — protecting ecosystems, increasing access to services, and improving outcomes for underserved groups.”

Since 2016, SCCF has been tagging turtles with metal flipper tags and PIT tags (a microchip). 

“To date, we’ve applied the satellite tags to two turtles. Since we have so much data on these satellite-tagged turtles, it’s useful to have a website to easily view their tracks,” Sloan said. 

Another goal is to make the tracks and data viewable to other researchers and managers, facilitating collaboration.

“We hope this tracking website will help engage the public in sea turtles and further promote conservation efforts in our area,” said Sloan.

To learn more about Hammerhead Technology, visit hammerheadtechnology.com.

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