Does the harness have lasting effects on leatherbacks?
To maximize the safety of these harnesses on leatherbacks, we use a system that has a corrodible link that dissolves over time in the sea water, allowing the turtle to shed the harness after approximately two years. We use antifouling paint to reduce biofouling (barnacle and algae attachment), which increases the weight and drag of the harness system, and soft vinyl tubing at the shoulders to minimize chaffing. Leatherbacks equipped with harnesses and transmitters have been re-sighted at coastal California foraging areas and at nesting beaches after having shed these systems, with no apparent lasting effects (re-sighted turtles have been robust, appeared healthy, and deposited eggs at their nesting sites). During situations when leatherbacks have been re-sighted after two years or less, the harness system has been removed from the animal by biologists at-sea or at the nesting beaches.
