Little Crush Release

		“Little Crush” Juvenile Green Sea Turtle
On March 8, 2006 an endangered green sea turtle was rescued by University of Central Florida's Marine Turtle Research Team. The emaciated sea turtle was found in the Indian River Lagoon near Melbourne Beach. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission contacted The Walt Disney World’s Living Seas Animal Care Specialists to care for the endangered sea turtle. While at the Living Seas, a team of veterinarians and animal care specialists found out that the sea turtle had ingested more than 70 pieces of plastic (balloons, plastic bags, monofilament line, string, etc)! After medical treatment, the turtle was able to naturally pass the debris. This little turtle weighed 5 pounds when rescued and is approximately 2-3 years old. Since very little scientific information exists on the life history of green sea turtles, a small satellite transmitter (Telonics #A-118) was placed on it's shell. In collaboration with Dr. Alan Bolten of the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research at the University of Florida we will be monitoring the movements of Little Crush. On August 16, 2006, “Little Crush” was released near Disney’s Vero Beach Resort.


Little Crush's Movements - August 2006

Little Crush’s Diary August 16, 2006 After several months of rehab at The Living Seas, Little Crush is released near Disney’s Vero Beach Resort. Several hundred guests are there to wish him well on his journey home! The first transmissions from his transmitter indicate that he is near the resort. August 17, 2006 Now feeling more confident, Little Crush moves further into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. We picked up his signal 55 miles from Disney’s Vero Beach Resort. August 18, 2006 Little Crush returns to the inter-coastal waterway near Disney’s Vero Beach Resort possibly via Sebastian Inlet. This is a hot spot for turtles in the area. You will find all different ages and sizes of the turtles in the Indian River Lagoon. August 21-23, 2006 Little Crush has left the Intracoastal Waterway and cruises the waters near the resort again. August 24, 2006 Little Crush is taking off! He swam 73 miles off the coast of Florida and is in the warm waters surrounding Grand Bahama Island. Could he really help us understand where juvenile sea turtles go? Will he head to the Azores as the turtle life history models predict or does he have another plan in mind? Here's hoping that he will let us in on the secret of where juvenile turtles spend those "lost years." August 25-31, 2006 The rough waters caused by Tropical Storm Ernesto are interfering with us getting a good signal from the transmitter. The transmitter sends the information when Little Crush surfaces to breath. The waves are so strong that he is not spending much time on the surface so some of our points show that he is on I-95! That's the challenge with using satellite telemetry. We need several seconds on clear transmission to the satellites to get accurate data! Little Crush has moved back to the Intracoastal Waterway to wait out the storm.

Little Crush's Movements - September 2006

September 3-4, 2006 Now that the waters have calmed, Little Crush makes his way back to the ocean waters near the resort. September 10, 2006 Little Crush is just 7 miles north of the resort. September 11, 2006 Little Crush swims back to the Intracoastal Waterway to avoid the rough waves of Hurricane Florence in the Atlantic. September 12-13, 2006 Little Crush returns to the ocean and resumes exploration of the waters surrounding the resort. September 14-17, 2006 Little Crush continues his exploration and is now approximately 18 miles south of the resort. September 18-22, 2006 Little Crush moves through a causeway to the Intracoastal Waterway and heads north. September 24-26, 2006 Little Crush has made his way from the Intracoastal Waterway back to the Atlantic Ocean. September 27-30, 2006 Little Crush explores the waters approximately 12 miles south of the resort. He may be enjoying the plentiful feeding grounds in the area.
Little Crush's Movements - October 2006

October 1, 2006 Little Crush has made his way back into the Intracoastal Waterway. October 3, 2006 After not getting a strong reading from Little Crush for a day, we find him 96 miles off the Florida coast, just north of Grand Bahama Island. That's quite a swim! October 5, 2006 Little Crush has returned from his travels to the Bahamas and is detected about 3 miles north of the resort. October 7-31, 2006 Little Crush is spending his time exploring the waters south of the resort.
Little Crush's Movements - November 2006

November 7-8, 2006 After not receiving a clear reading from Little Crush's transmitter for a week, we find him 45 miles SE of the resort. This puts him about halfway between Vero Beach and the Bahamas. November 11-27, 2006 Little Crush is enjoying the waters a few miles south of the resort. November 30, 2006 We find Little Crush 122 miles off the Florida coast, just north of Grand Bahama Island.
Little Crush's Movements - December 2006

December 1, 2006 Little Crush is making his way back from the Bahamas. He is now 67 miles SE of the resort. December 2-9, 2006 Little Crush has returned to the waters surrounding the resort. December 10, 2006 Little Crush is exploring the waters approximately 50 miles south of the resort. December 12-15, 2006 Little Crush has continues to explore the waters surrounding the resort. December 18, 2006 Little Crush has made another trip out to the waters off Grand Bahama Island. We've observed a clear increase in his movements this month. December 19, 2006 Little Crush again returns to the waters surrounding the resort. December 23+25, 2006 Little Crush appears to be spending the Christmas holiday back in the Bahamas. December 27, 2006 Little Crush is now approximately 20 miles east of the resort.
Little Crush's Movements - January 2007

January 4-6, 2007 Little Crush is enjoying the feeding grounds along the coast, 13 miles south of the resort. January 7, 2007 Little Crush has now moved offshore, approximately 14 miles from the resort. January 11+12, 2007 Little Crush is continuing to enjoy these familiar waters near the resort. January 15, 2007 Little Crush is venturing further offshore and is now 55 miles from the resort. Perhaps he is making his way back to the Bahamas! January 20-22, 2007 After a few days of rough seas, Little Crush's signal is picked up back in the waters south of the resort. January 24-25, 2007 Little Crush has made his way back into the Intracoastal Waterway to wait out some rough seas. What a smart turtle! January 27, 2007 Little Crush has returned to the Atlantic Ocean and is tracked to be 41 miles south of the resort. January 29, 2007 Little Crush has gone for quite a swim now that the waters have calmed, we picked up his signal 94 miles east of the resort, a position 70 miles north of Grand Bahama Island.
Little Crush's Movements - February 2007

February 3, 2007 After a few days of rough waters, we find Little Crush 40 miles SE of the resort. February 8-14, 2007 Little Crush continues to feed in the waters SE of the resort and gets about halfway to Grand Bahama Island. February 15, 2007 Little Crush spends this chilly day in the Intracoastal Waterway. February 17, 2007 After his rest, Little Crush swims over 100 miles east and we find him 50 miles north of Grand Bahama Island. February 19-21, 2007 Little Crush returns to the feeding grounds in the waters surrounding the resort. February 22, 2007 Little Crush has again made his way back into the Intracoastal Waterway. February 23+26, 2007 Little Crush has moved back out to sea and we now find him about 30 miles east of the resort. February 27, 2007 Little Crush has made his way back to the coast and is now just offshore, 10 miles south of the resort. February 28, 2007 Little Crush has moved further down the coast and is now about 30 miles south of the resort.
Little Crush's Movements - March 2007

March 2, 2007 Little Crush heads out for a big swim to begin the month of March. We located him 98 miles SE of the resort. March 3, 2007 That was a quick trip to the Bahamas! Little Crush has returned to the waters surrounding the resort. We found him 10 miles SE of the resort today. March 8, 2007 We did not pick up a strong signal for a few days but found him again today, right near the resort. March 10, 2007 Little Crush stretched his flippers today with a swim that put him 100 miles NE of the resort. March 11-19, 2007 He's back! Little Crush is once again exploring the waters around the resort. March 20, 2007 Little Crush take another big swim today and we found him 96 miles NE of the resort. March 19-28, 2007 Little Crush settles in again in the waters surrounding the resort. March 30, 2007 Today Little Crush has made his way back to one of his favorite spots, the Intracoastal Waterway. March 31, 2007 Little Crush emerges from the Intracoastal Waterway approximately 15 miles SE of the resort.
Little Crush's Movements - April 2007

April 1, 2007 Little Crush heads even further south and is now 30 miles SE of the resort. April 2-4, 2007 Little Crush has spent the last 3 days in the waters 14 miles SE of the resort. April 6, 2007 Today we find Little Crush in the Intracoastal Waterway. This seems to be the place he goes when the waters get rough due to approaching storms. April 8, 2007 Little Crush reemerges from the Intracoastal Waterway and we find him 20 miles SE of the resort. April 9-10, 2007 Little Crush moves closer to the coast for a few days, we found him swimming about 15 miles south of the resort. April 12, 2007 Little Crush heads back into the Intracoastal Waterway. April 14-25, 2007 After another short stay in the Intracoastal Waterway, we find Little Crush back near the coast, just 10 miles south of the resort. April 26, 2007 Little Crush goes for a longer swim today and we find him 40 miles SE of the resort. April 30, 2007 Little Crush ends the month back at his favorite spot along the coast, just south of the resort.
Little Crush's Movements - May 2007

May 5, 2007 After a few days of poor readings, we catch up with Little Crush 55 miles SE of the resort. May 6, 2007 Little Crush continues his big swim and makes it back out to Grand Bahama Island. He is now 110 miles SE of the resort. May 7-10, 2007 Little Crush had returned to his favorite waters just south of the resort. May 12, 2007 After some windy days from subtropical storm Andrea we are not surprised to find Little Crush waiting it out in the Intracoastal Waterway. May 13, 2007 Little Crush has returned to the ocean and is located 17 miles SE of the resort. May 14-17, 2007 Little Crush has been hanging out 11 miles SE of the resort. May 26, 2007 After several days without a strong signal, Little Crush shows up 18 miles SE of the resort. It is possible that the battery in Little Crush's tracking device is starting to go out after 10 long months of transmitting. We will continue to check for his signal over the next several weeks.
Little Crush's Movements - June 2007

June 8-14, 2007 There must still be some life in the battery on Little Crush's transmitter because we have picked up his signal again. Little Crush has spent the last few days 12 miles south of the Resort. June 15, 2007 Little Crush spends this day swimming about in the Intracoastal Waterway. June 16, 2007 Little Crush exits the Intracoastal Waterway and hangs out in his favorite feeding grounds south of the Resort. June 17, 2007 Little Crush took a bit of a swim today and moves offshore. We picked up his signal 15 miles SE of the Resort. June 18-22, 2007 Little Crush's signal is strong again and we found him back near the coast, approximately 18 miles south of the Resort. June 23, 2007 Today we find Little Crush enjoying the calmer waters of the Intracoastal Waterway. June 24-30, 2007 Little Crush is again spending his time feeding in the ocean waters south of the Resort.
Little Crush's Movements - July 2007

July 1-14, 2007 Little Crush continues to spend his time swimming the waters approximately 15 miles south of the Resort. July 15, 2007 Little Crush makes his way further offshore and today we find him 17 miles SE of the Resort. July 17-19, 2007 Little Crush continues to enjoy these rich feeding grounds. July 20, 2007 Little Crush took a swim to the north today. We picked up his signal 30 miles NE of the Resort. July 23-31, 2007 Little Crush returns to his favorite swimming area SE of the Resort.
Little Crush's Movements - August 2007

August 1, 2007 We are approaching the one year mark of tracking Little Crush and today we find him 11 miles SE of the Resort. August 2, 2007 Little Crush goes for a longer swim today and we picked up his signal 29 miles SE of the Resort. August 3-10, 2007 Little Crush is back to his favorite feeding grounds 14 miles SE of the Resort. August 11, 2007 Today we found Little Crush enjoying the calm waters of the Intracoastal Waterway August 12-13, 2007 Little Crush has returned to the ocean and we detected his signal 11 miles SE of the Resort. August 15, 2007 Little Crush has moved up the coast a bit and is now 7 miles SE of the Resort. August 16-23, 2007 Little Crush is continuing to enjoy the rich feeding grounds approximately 20 miles SE of the Resort. August 26, 2007 Little Crush returned to the Intracoastal Waterway today. August 27, 2007 Little Crush's signal was picked up back in the ocean today, 12 miles south of the Resort. August 29, 2007 This was the final reading we received from Little Crush's transmitter. Most likely, the battery on the transmitter finally ran out of power after sending signals for over a year, or the transmitter popped off Little Crush's shell since he must have been growing quite a bit this year. His last signal showed that he was swimming in his favorite waters just 10 miles south of the Disney Vero Beach Resort. Thanks Little Crush for all your help in telling us where juvenile sea turtles spend their time and the waters that are most important to protect for their survival. Happy Swimming!
THANKS LITTLE CRUSH! Happy Swimming!!!