Tags are made from two basic kinds of material (plastic or metal) which both have
their pros and cons that will not be discussed here.
Tags generally have a number (that may or may not include letters) on their upper surfaces
and a condensed form of a contact address on the underside.
The image below shows the main styles of tag that have been used to date. However,
some variation exists in styles of tags from both materials. The plastic tags in the list are grouped as "plastic" with the colour and the metal tags are indicated also by size, "big" and "small".
The purpose of this page is to help the observer locate the origin of individual
tags by identifying the tag series and contact information for that series.
A list of tag series follows, but first let me explain what information should be
recorded and what else should be done when a tagged turtle is encountered.
What to do when you encounter a live turtle
You should note the date, the tag; number, material (and if plastic the colour) and if possible
the
contact address and which flipper the tag was in. Also note the approximate size
of the turtle (usually only considering the carapace/shell) and if there was any obvious injury
to the turtle or if it was tangled in fishing line etc. If possible take a photo of the
turtle - especially showing any damage or characteristics of that individual. You should also
note as accurately as possible where you were when you observed the turtle and how it was that
you came across it.
For example: "I saw an orange, plastic tag, number H123, on the front left flipper of a
turtle when I was swimming off Koroni beach, Messinia, Greece, on 25 July 2003. The turtle was
about 80cm long and had no apparent injuries. She was eating a crab! Unfortunately I didn't
have a camera to take photographs"
Then use the list below to identify the probable source of the tag and contact them with the
information you have collected.
What to do when you encounter a dead turtle
The procedure is basically the same as above but in this case it is better to remove the tag so
that it can be returned to the organisation that placed it.
If you consider postal communication is too slow then you can subscribe to the MedTurtle mailing list
(see Turtle mailing lists in the Index for how to subscribe) and announce your finding there. The tagging organisation
will contact you for any further information etc.
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OK, so now you know what to do, here is a list of tag series purchased by Mediterranean workers. It is not exhaustive.
This list has been "lifted" from the ACCSTR tag inventory that holds tag
series from all over the world, with a few additions that haven't been recorded there.
Click on the tag series' contact to be taken to their details.
| Tag Series | Style of tag | Contact |
| 001 - 500 | Plastic Green | ARCHELON |
| 101 - 700? | Plastic Blue | Kefalonia |
| 1 - 199 | Plastic Green | Univ. Exeter |
| 200 - 350 | Plastic Yellow | Univ. Exeter |
| 351 - 600 | Plastic Blue | Univ. Exeter |
| 601 - 799 | Plastic Orange | Univ. Exeter |
| 1001 - 1199 | Plastic White | Univ. Exeter |
| 1201 - 1499 | Plastic Pink | Univ. Exeter |
| 401 - 1000 | Metal "Small" | Univ. Exeter |
| 101 - 999 | Metal ???? | Turkey |
| 1001A - 2000A | Metal "Small" | WWF-Italy |
| 2001A - 3000A | Metal "Small" | WWF-Italy |
| 3001A - 4000A | Metal "Small" | WWF-Italy |
| A000 - A999 | Plastic Blue | ARCHELON |
| A1 - A900 | Metal "Big" | Univ. Roma |
| A1000 - A1499 | Metal "Big" | ARCHELON |
| AW1 - AW10000 | Metal "Small" | ACCSTR |
| B000 - B999 | Plastic Red | ARCHELON |
| B1 - B900 | Metal "Big" | Univ. Roma |
| B2000 - B2499 | Metal "Big" | ARCHELON |
| C1 - C900 | Metal "Big" | Univ. Roma |
| C 1 - C300? | Plastic Blue | Kefalonia |
| C6000 - C6999 | Metal "Small" | ARCHELON |
| CSC0001 - CSC1000 | Plastic ???? | CSC |
| D1 - D900 | Metal "Big" | Univ. Roma |
| D7000 - D7999 | Metal "Small" | ARCHELON |
| E000 - E999 | Plastic Yellow | ARCHELON |
| E1 - E900 | Metal "Big" | Univ. Roma |
| E4000 - E4499 | Metal "Small" | ARCHELON |
| F1 - F300 | Metal "Big" | Univ. Roma |
| F3201 - F3300 | Plastic Blue | CNHM |
| FC0101 - FC0200 | Metal "Small" | Fond. Cetacea |
| G1 - G300 | Metal "Big" | Univ. Roma |
| H000 - H999 | Plastic Orange | ARCHELON |
| H1 - H300 | Metal "Big" | Univ. Roma |
| H3000 - H3499 | Metal "Big" | ARCHELON |
| HR000 - HR999 | Plastic | CNHM |
| I1 - I300 | Metal "Big" | Univ. Roma |
| IB0001 - IB0999 | Metal "Small" | Fundacio Bosch |
| IT0001 - IT0400 | Metal "Small" | CTS |
| IT0401 - IT0600 | Metal "Big" | CTS |
| IT0601 - IT1000 | Metal "Small" | CTS |
| IT1001 - IT1100 | Metal "Big" | CTS |
| IT3000 - IT3500 | Metal "Small" | A.R.C.H.E. |
| J1 - J300 | Metal "Big" | Univ. Roma |
| K1 - K1000 | Metal "Small" | Univ. Roma |
| K500 - K999 | Plastic Yellow | ARCHELON |
| K001 - K100 | Metal "Small" | Kefalonia |
| KA000 - KA999 | Plastic Green | ARCHELON |
| L8000 - L8999 | Metal "Small" | ARCHELON |
| M3500 - M3999 | Metal "Big" | ARCHELON |
| N5000 - N5499 | Metal "Small" | ARCHELON |
| P4500 - P4999 | Metal "Small" | ARCHELON |
| R9000 - R9999 | Metal "Small" | ARCHELON |
| RE000 - RE999 | Plastic Yellow | ARCHELON |
| S6500 - S6999 | Metal "Big" | ARCHELON |
| SYA000 - SYA299 | Metal "small" | Syria |
| T2500 - T2999 | Metal "Big" | ARCHELON |
| TP00 - TP49 | Plastic Green | ARCHELON |
| TP50 - TP99 | Plastic Red | ARCHELON |
| TP100 - TP299 | Plastic Yellow | ARCHELON |
| TR001 - TR1000 | Metal ???? | Turkey |
| V1000 - V1999 | Metal "Small" | Univ. Roma |
| X6000 - X6499 | Metal "Big" | ARCHELON |
| X401 - X999 | Metal ???? | Univ. Exeter |
| Y5500 - Y5999 | Metal "Small" | ARCHELON |
| Z ? - Z ? | ???? ???? | Spain |
| Z000 - Z999 | Metal "Big" | ARCHELON |
| ZA000 - ZA999 | Plastic Red | ARCHELON |
| ZB000 - ZB999 | Plastic Red | ARCHELON |
A.R.C.H.E.
Carola Vallini, A.R.C.H.E., via Mulinetto, 40/A, I-44100 Ferrara, ITALY
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ACCSTR
Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, University of Florida, P.O. Box 118525, Gainesville, Florida 32611 USA, accstr@zoo.ufl.edu
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ARCHELON
Dimitris Margaritoulis, ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, P.O. Box 51154, GR-145 10 Kifissia, GREECE, margaritoulis@archelon.gr
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CNHM
Bojan Lazar, Department of Zoology, Croatian Natural History Museum, Demetrova 1 Str., HR-10000 Zagreb, CROATIA
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CSC
Flegra Bentivegna, Curator of Naples Aquarium, Villa Communale 1, 80121 Naples, ITALY
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CTS
CTS - Ambiente, Via Andrea Vesalio 6, 00161 Rome, ITALY, ambiente@cts.it
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Fond. Cetacea
Fondazione Cetacea ONLUS, via Milano, 63, 47838 Riccione (RN), ITALY, cetacea@iper.net
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Fundacio Bosch
Luis Cardona, Grup de Biologia de la Conservacio, Fundacio Bosch i Gimpera, C/Baldiri Reixac 4-6, 08028 Barcelona, SPAIN, gbc@pcb.ub.es
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Kefalonia
ALan F. Rees, ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, P.O. Box 51154, GR-145 10 Kifissia, GREECE, alan@archelon.gr
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Syria
Prof. Adib Saad, Tishreen University, P.O. Box 1408, Lattakia, SYRIA. adibsaad@scs-net.org
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Turkey
Dr. Oguz Turkozan, DEU Buca Egt. Fak. Biyoloji Bol., 35150 Buca-Izmir, TURKEY, oguz.turkozan@deu.edu.tr
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Univ. Roma
Prof. Roberto Argano, Dip. Biol. Animale e dell'Uomo, Univ. "La Sapienza" Roma, Viale dell'Universita, 32, 00185 Roma, ITALY
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Univ. Exeter
Drs. Brendan J. Godley & Annette C. Broderick, Marine Turtle Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Exeter, Hatherly Laboratories, Exeter EX4 4PS, UK, abroderick@seaturtle.org or bgodley@seaturtle.org
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WWF Italy
Paolo Casale, Sea Turtle Network, c/o WWF Italy, Via Po 25c, 00198 Roma, ITALY, paolo.casale@tiscali.it
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