FLATBACK SEATURTLE DESCRIPTION HOW TO
Familiarise yourself with the guidelines on how to make a new crab pot, or learn how to correctly modify an existing one Set your pots to avoid loose rope floating about in the water and ensure your pot entrances are not large enough to trap a turtle. Don't leave behind discarded fishing lines and don't use stainless steel hooks. Be careful not to damage seagrass by careless anchoring or operating of a vessel in shallow water where boat wash or propeller damage can occur.Many turtles are struck by propellers of speeding boats and this can cause injury and death. Follow the regulations relating to "go slow areas for turtles and dugong" including operating vessels off the plane and not undertaking motorised water sports.Plastic swallowed by mistake can cause blockages of the stomach and intestines of marine animals such as turtles. Remember that rubbish you throw away can find its way to the sea, where turtles can mistake things such as plastic bags for jellyfish.A Queensland Government officer in the relevant region will be contacted with your information and will determine the appropriate response. Report sick, injured, dead and/or tagged marine turtles to 1300 130 372.Since 2014, the Nest to Ocean Turtle Protection Program has identified turtle rookeries for active nest protection and predator control efforts to reduce the threat posed by feral pigs and other predator species. Despite the use of TEDs (Turtle Excluder Devices) in the fishing industry, many flatback turtles still drown in fishing equipment, such as discarded nets (also known as ghost nets).Ī national Recovery Plan for Marine Turtles in Australia exists and identifies the management actions necessary to recover marine turtle species in Australia.Pollution of waterways can impact on important turtle habitats, especially coral reefs.Light pollution at night from shops and houses can disorientate hatchlings causing them to move inland where they are easy prey for other animals. Uncontrolled vehicles can damage nests and disturb laying turtles. Nesting beaches are also disturbed by vehicles and coastal development.The pig's keen sense of smell allows them to locate buried turtle nests and subsequently dig up and consume all the contents. Feral pigs have been responsible for high levels of nest-predation with 90% of nests predated in west Cape York in the past.Threatening processesĪll marine turtle species are experiencing serious threats to their survival. They return to the region of their origin to breed, with females then laying their eggs on a nesting beach. Flatbacks prefer inshore waters where they can feed in shallow sea-beds on a carnivorous diet of soft-bodied marine life such as soft corals, sea cucumbers, and jelly-fish. Once on the surface of the beach, the hatchlings orientate themselves towards the lighter horizon of the ocean and then move as fast as they can down the beach and into the waves.Įarly life for the hatchlings is precarious, as many are eaten by sharks and crocodiles, with few making it to adulthood. Hatchlings break through the leathery shell of the egg at night, before digging together through the sand to the surface. Life history and behaviourįlatback turtles lay the fewest eggs of any marine turtle, with approximately 50 eggs per nest buried under the sand. The Queensland Trust for Nature purchased Avoid Island, one of the three major breeding sites in eastern Australia for flatback turtles, and has established a Nature Refuge to protect the rookery and support further research and monitoring programs. Their feeding grounds also extend to the Indonesian archipelago and the Papua New Guinea coast. They feed in the northern coastal regions of Australia, ranging as far south as the Tropic of Capricorn. Limpus Habitat and distributionĪll known breeding sites of the flatback turtle occur in tropical Australia, on beaches and islands in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Coal seam gas information for community and landholdersĪdult female flatback turtle Photo: C.J.Air monitoring programs and investigations.COVID-19 information for environmental authority holders.Apply, renew or register using Online Services.
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