The use of I3S software for photographic identification of marine turtles within a citizen science model in the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) (2016)
Undergraduates: Cori Lopazanski, Daniela Matheus-Holland, Daniela Alarcon, Juan Pablo Munoz-Perez
Faculty Advisor: Amy Cooke
Department: Biology
Photo identification is an efficient and non-invasive technique for accurate recognition of individual sea turtles and obtaining population dynamics data. Traditional techniques such as marked identification tags are problematic due to high tag loss rate and repeated animal manipulation. Computer programs can assist researchers in identifying individual organisms more efficiently and accurately. This study evaluates the effectiveness of I3S Pattern in identifying individual sea turtles in the Galapagos archipelago. I3S analyses provided 18 examples of turtles that were sighted and re-sighted on at least one additional occasion. Time between sightings ranged from 1 day to 5 years, and all turtles were re-sighted in the same location. A citizen science model for data collection was used to enhance collection range and local participation in monitoring issues of environmental concern. Posters advertising submission for photos were placed in 12 tour agencies in San Cristobal and talks were delivered at official naturalist guide seminars. Members of the public including naturalist guides, tourists and tour agency employees submitted 41 photos of new individuals across 9 new locations in the archipelago, extending the data collection range from 17 locations to 26. Our results suggest that a citizen science model allows for a greater spatial range for data collection and that I3S software has potential to be highly beneficial in obtaining population dynamics data for sea turtles.