Green sea turtle populations migrate primarily along the coasts from nesting to feeding grounds. Black sea turtles migrate along the coast from breeding areas to feeding grounds between the northern and southern extremes of their distribution range. Populations of olive ridleys have been observed in large flotillas traveling between feeding and nesting grounds in the Eastern Pacific and Indian Oceans. Evidence suggests that some hawksbill populations show cyclic nesting migrations. Other researchers have documented nonmigratory and short-distance migratory populations.
Leatherbacks have the longest migration of all sea turtles.
Migration habits differ among sea turtle species. Migrations may range from a few to thousands of kilometers. The most common method used to track free-ranging sea turtles is flipper tagging. Although this method yields information on migration destinations, it does not reveal travel routes. Recently radio, sonic, and satellite tracking have been successful in monitoring sea turtle movements.