Flipper tags are metal or plastic clips applied to a turtle's front and/or rear flippers. The tags normally have a number on one side and an address on the other. The recovery of these tags in Canadian waters can lead us to more information about the tagged turtle, including where it was tagged, when it was tagged, and its size at the time of tagging.

For example, because of a flipper tag we now know that some leatherbacks journey to Atlantic Canada after nesting in South America. In 1987, fishermen off Argentia, Newfoundland noticed a tag on the rear flipper of a female leatherback. The information from the tag revealed that the turtle had been tagged only four months earlier while nesting on a beach in French Guiana. The turtle had travelled a minimum of 5,000 kilometres, averaging 40 kilometres per day.

Flipper tagging a leatherback turtle

Close-up of a flipper tag on a leatherback turtle

If you discover a flipper tag on the front and/or rear flippers of a sea turtle, please record the information from both sides of the tag. If possible, please photograph the turtle, remembering to place an object next to it for scale. Then, contact the Leatherback Turtle Working Group toll free and we will investigate the tag number and let you know what we discover from it.

1-888-729-4667 (toll free)

If you discover a tag and want to ascertain if it is a Working Group tag, please check our 
tag listing.

Tagging    Satellite tagging    PIT tagging    Tag Return

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