Hatchery efficiency for turtle conservation in Cabo Verde.

ABSTRACT

This paper evaluated the efficiency of beach hatcheries as a conservation tool for threatened sea turtle clutches. During six nesting seasons (2013 to 2018), several thousand high-risk clutches from loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) were relocated to a hatchery constructed on the same beach, within the Sea Turtle Natural Reserve (STNR, Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde). Some parameters like hatching success; incubation period, hatchlings' morphology and their behavioral response were compared to in-situ clutches.•Our findings confirmed that the in-situ nests within the STNR had extremely high egg mortality that was usually over 70 %. Mean hatching success of clutches relocated to hatcheries was significantly higher than in-situ clutches with mean values between 70 to 85 % (p < 0.0001).•No significant differences were observed in the incubation period (p = 0.786) and morphology of hatchlings (all p > 0.05) between relocated and in-situ clutches.•This study provided a detailed method and recommendations for sea turtle clutches relocation to the hatchery, that can be beneficial for endangered sea turtle population specially where hatching success is very low.