Researchers from the United States, Panama and Cuba have joined local students in the annual Bermuda Turtle Project at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.The course is part of a long-standing conservation effort that aims to protect Bermuda’s marine turtle population.Young green turtles spend much of their early years living in Bermuda’s waters, though they will leave in later life to return to their place of birth.“Bermuda is one of the few countries on the planet where scientists have been working for more than four decades to try to answer some of the puzzling questions about juvenile sea turtles,” said research scientist Mark Outerbridge, who manages the project.Though the project will take place over the next two weeks, turtle conservation in Bermuda is a year-long effort.Mr Outerbridge added that “the benefits gained by international participants in this annual summer course can go a long way towards increasing turtle conservation measures through the entire region”.The project will focus on methods of collecting data about the turtles’ genetic make-up, rates of growth as well as their movement patterns by attaching satellite transmitters to their shells.Mr Outerbridge added that “in past years, we have fixed satellite transmitters onto the shells of turtles that we know are nearing the time when they will depart from Bermuda to make the oceanic crossing to the Caribbean”.This summer scientists will focus on using this satellite telemetry to record local movements of juvenile turtles over the next year.“This information is helping to solve some of the mysteries surrounding young sea turtles, which may spend 20-plus years in developmental habitats before leaving our territorial waters forever to breed,” said Mr Outerbridge.Through their continued effort the Bermuda Zoological Society hope to learn more about the green turtles that populate Bermuda’s waters in order to protect this unique species.