Breeding and nesting season for sea turtles has begun with green turtles, loggerhead turtles, and even the critically endangered hawksbill turtle species to be found nesting in southern Queensland and Northern NSW beaches.
Nesting season runs from November until March, with hatching occurring anywhere from January onwards and NSW TurtleWatch, run by Australian Seabird and Turtle Rescue based in Ballina, is calling on the public to keep their eyes peeled at the beach this summer for nesting sea turtles and are asking you to report nesting locations you spot up and down the coastline.
‘Marine turtle nesting frequency along the NSW coastline is certainly increasing. However, as we enter an accelerated climate change period in Earth’s history, it is unknown whether as a species, marine turtles will be able to naturally adapt and shift from nesting beaches that have become too hot for optimal nesting, to cooler beaches further along the east Coast of Australia – such as our local beaches in NNSW,’ said Sarah Jantos from Fingal Head’s Green Heroes.
During nesting season, sea turtles lay around 100 eggs per clutch on the beach and leave them in the sand to incubate for around two months.
Last nesting season was one of the highest on record for NSW Turtlewatch, with 16 total nesting events recorded from New Brighton Beach in the Byron Shire to Diamond Beach on the Mid-North Coast.
The sand’s temperature determines the hatchlings’ sex, with cooler sand producing more males, while warmer sand yields more females.
‘The warming oceans and sand temperatures mean that the sand temperatures in Northern Queensland are not longer always suitable for nesting,’ explained Ms Jantos.
How can you help?
‘Sea turtle nests are vulnerable to a range of threats including predation, high tides, and erosion. The sooner we are notified of a nest, the quicker we can get down to the beach and physically protect and monitor the nest until it hatches,’ said NSW TurtleWatch Project Officer Merryn Dunleavy.
‘It’s estimated that only one in every 1,000 hatchlings will reach maturity, meaning every single nest and hatchling that is protected, will make a huge impact on the survival of the species. With such a large expanse of coastline to monitor, we hope to engage more people to recognise and report turtle nesting activities. The more understanding we have, the more we will be able to ensure their protection in the future.’
The public can play a vital role in aiding in the survival of sea turtles across the state through not only monitoring critical nesting habitat but also identifying potential threats to nesting sea turtles.
If you’re down at the beach and spot sea turtle tracks or a nest, please call NSW TurtleWatch on 0447 877 149 or NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) on 1300 072 757.
To best help our sea turtles, you can:
- walk your local beach early in the morning, as sea turtles generally nest during the night,
- keep your eyes peeled for any tracks in the sand, which are usually 80–100 cm wide and can sometimes be mistaken for tyre tracks,
- take your phone with you so you can quickly call NSW TurtleWatch or NPWS if you see signs of turtles, tracks or a nest, as well as potential threats to these nesting turtles.
Turtle ID app
‘While turtles are moving south they are not doing it fast enough to adapt to climate change,’ explained Ms Jantos.
‘The OceanID project unites leading AI (artificial intelligence) facial recognition technologies with our community of ocean lovers. Similar to a human fingerprint, marine turtles have unique facial features that can be used to create individual profiles for each animal within the OceanID project. By capturing a photograph of the LEFT facial side profile of a turtle and uploading it to the OceanID platform, community members contribute to non-invasive research and a deeper understanding of our local turtle populations, including their distribution, movements, habits and behaviours.’
Ms Jantos says, ‘this information can assist in understanding things like the preferred habitats or feeding grounds of local populations, the behaviours and movements of rehabilitated and released turtles, or provide accurate statistics on critically endangered hawksbill populations in NSW to name a few.
‘This information leads to strengthened management and protection plans for marine turtles species and informs actions that can minimise human impacts, implement climate mitigation strategies and safeguard local populations from extinction.
‘Green Heroes invites any community members who spend time in the water (such as divers, snorkelers and underwater photographers) to upload their turtle photos to www.oceanid.org. An OceanID mobile digital application is underway to further engage the community in marine megafauna conservation.’
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