Teal Guetschow Shares Her Research on Leatherback Turtles

Center for Biology and Society PhD Candidate Teal Guetschow shares her research video...

This video recaps Teal's 2025 field season, documenting each stage of field research—from clutch relocations to nest excavations—while highlighting the vital role of community participation in conservation. Local collaborators, field assistants, and volunteers were all integral to each aspect of the research, demonstrating how science and community can work together to protect this iconic species.

Leatherback turtles, the largest and most unique of all sea turtle species, require urgent conservation attention, particularly in the Wider Caribbean region where abundance has declined significantly in recent years. On the northeast coast of Trinidad, Grande Riviere Beach, at just over 1 kilometer long, hosts the world's densest leatherback nesting beach. However, such a high number of nests on a relatively small beach may create unfavorable nest conditions for embryos to successfully develop, highlighting potential tradeoffs between nesting abundance and density-dependent hatchling production that could affect population stability and recovery. Over three environmentally diverse nesting seasons (2023-2025), this study, in collaboration with the Grande Riviere Nature Tour Guide Association, relocated vulnerable clutches to a controlled hatchery of low, medium, and high nest density research plots. By manipulating nest density and monitoring incubation conditions, we aim to better understand how nest density alters the internal nest environment and impacts hatching success. This research provides critical data to inform targeted conservation action at the community level and within Trinidad and Tobago's national Sea Turtle Task Force to increase hatchling production at one of the world’s most important leatherback rookeries.