Sea turtles are globally endangered and protected marine species, and five species—including Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas are known to occur in Korean waters. However, their low population densities and extensive migratory movements make it di...
Sea turtles are globally endangered and protected marine species, and five species—including Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas are known to occur in Korean waters. However, their low population densities and extensive migratory movements make it difficult to obtain the ecological information necessary for effective conservation planning. This study aimed to establish an improved marine monitoring framework for two sea turtle species by incorporating environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques as a supplement to conventional monitoring methods. For Caretta caretta, a previously developed species-specific marker that had undergone partial field validation was used. For Chelonia mydas, however, the existing marker produced a short qPCR amplicon (46bp), which limited the ability to confirm species identity through sequencing. To address this issue, I newly designed and validated a species-specific eDNA marker for C. mydas (Chmy11F/Chmy11NR) that generates a longer 78-bp amplicon. Using both markers, I compared eDNA detection rates in the eDNA samples, collected from the intertidal zone and the subtidal zone (0 m and 10 m depths). The newly developed C. mydas marker demonstrated high specificity, enabling reliable species identification and the elimination of false positives through sequencing of qPCR amplicons. Around islands near Seogwipo, Jeju, sea turtle eDNA was predominantly detected in June (early summer) and October (late autumn), and detection rates were significantly higher in the subtidal zone than in the intertidal zone. This study confirms the technical reliability and efficiency of sea turtle eDNA analysis by developing and field-testing markers for two sea turtle species.