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If we don't know how many turtles are out there, we can't really protect them. How many are there? Which species? What ages? Are New South Wales turtles migrants from the Great Barrier Reef or wider in the Pacific? Where are their nesting beaches? This is important to me also because I've watched enough turtles die from issues like marine plastic debris ingestion to want to understand more about the species being affected in my backyard.
I'm a Higher Degree Researcher with James Cook University studying sea turtles in the magnificently biodiverse Cape Byron and Lord Howe Island Marine Parks in New South Wales, Australia. I also help out a bit around the Australian Seabird Rescue Sea Turtle Hospital in Ballina.
Sea turtles have faced many challenges including harvesting and habitat disturbance throughout history and despite being flagged multiple times as a high priority, baselines studies of abundance and distribution in NSW have been extremely limited.
This baseline information is fundamental to detect change and mitigate disaster, contributing to the protection and conservation of the vulnerable green (Chelonia mydas) and endangered hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles that exist across temperate reefs in this Pacific region at one or more stages of their life history. They're also extremely likeable animals!
This baseline information is fundamental to detect change and mitigate disaster, contributing to the protection and conservation of the vulnerable green (Chelonia mydas) and endangered hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles that exist across temperate reefs in this Pacific region at one or more stages of their life history. They're also extremely likeable animals!
Visual surveys and satellite tracking will give us the data we need and I'm (almost) ready for the challenge! Attaching a satellite tracker is a proven method to help us understand how individuals interact in the parks and during migration across the wider South Pacific. A satellite tracker with a depth sensor, critical to understanding habitat use in a 3-dimensional seascape, costs around AUD$5,500 a piece (ouch!). Fund one entire tracker and you can name your sea turtle! Data uploads publicly to a website daily, like this one did. It's very exciting to watch, connecting local communities directly to their marine wildlife LIVE!
Each sea turtle surveyed visually or by satellite tracking reveals critical information through its spatial location, species, behaviour, size and condition. Satellite tracking will contribute an immense amount of knowledge needed to fill gaps in our understanding of - and advocate for - conservation and protection of these threatened species and their habitat.
Each sea turtle surveyed visually or by satellite tracking reveals critical information through its spatial location, species, behaviour, size and condition. Satellite tracking will contribute an immense amount of knowledge needed to fill gaps in our understanding of - and advocate for - conservation and protection of these threatened species and their habitat.
Budget:
Travel SYD (or BNE) to LHI Study Site
6 x return flights @ $1,000ea = $6,000
Satellite tracking devices
14 x satellite tracking devices @ $5,500ea = $77,000
Total: $83,000
In the meantime, I'll be continuing to undertake visual sea turtle surveys of sea turtles at four sites (two sanctuary and two non--sanctuary zones) within the Cape Byron and Lord Howe Island Marine Parks. I'll also be looking for any of the over-400 sea turtles that have been flipper tagged in NSW already. I've spotted a few already!
With many thanks to James Cook University, NSW Marine Parks Authority, the Lord Howe Island Board Research Facility, Byron Bay Dive Centre, the LHI tour operators and the locals for offering me so much logistical assistance in getting me around the marine parks.
Below are links to some media stories. Thank you for your support!!
