All information is valuable, but the following details are particularly useful:
• A description of the turtle (alive or dead), identification
of species (at least to leatherback/hard-shelled level) and overall straight
length. Note any damage e.g. cuts, scars.
• Location (longitude & latitude/O.S. grid reference),
date and time of sighting.
• Other observations, such as turtle’s behaviour,
whether caught in fishing gear (including exact nature of entanglement,
gear involved) etc.
• Presence of tags: Many conservation projects place plastic
or metal tags on turtles flippers,which display identification numbers and a return
address. Record any tag details if this can be done without
causing disturbance to the turtle.
Please report all dead turtles, even if they have to be discarded
at sea.
Records from diaries or logbooks, however old, are also of interest.