Queensland marine researchers say restrictions imposed on the fishing industry have triggered a landmark nesting season for Bundaberg's endangered sea turtles.
About 400 loggerhead turtles have laid eggs at Mon Repos, near Bundaberg, since November last year.
Dr Col Limpus, from the state Department of Environment and Resource Management, says more turtles are reaching the breeding age of about 30 years.
"It wasn't until 2000 that we had the fisheries regulations requiring the use of turtle exclusion devices, or TEDS, so that turtles didn't drown in the prawn trawl," Dr Limpus said.
"Now, eight years after the legislation became effective, we're seeing our population no longer declining but actually in a recovery mode."
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Turtles aren't coming back says Malaysian don
KUALA TERENGGANU: The turtles are not coming back to Batu Buruk beach, here.
It was sad but true, said Turtle Conservation Centre co-founder and chief executive officer Prof Dr Chan Eng Heng who is one of the country's leading experts in turtle research, conservation and education.
Commenting on the recent find of a turtle's nest at Batu Buruk beach, the retired marine biodiversity and conservation professor at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, said it was an isolated case where one or two turtles found their way back to their old nesting ground.
"I have been told that eight green turtle hatchlings were found crawling at the Batu Buruk Beach Resort and later, officers from the Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre (Tumec) in Rantau Abang, Dungun, found a nest with more than 70 eggs in it.
"It is good to see turtles making an appearance again at the beach but chances are that the turtle that laid the eggs is what's left of the old batch of turtles that used to nest here and we are not likely to see another turtle for a while."
She said similar occurences could also be detected at other beaches in the state such at Mengabang Telipot, Batu Rakit and Chendering.
"But all is not lost as the number of turtle landings and nestings in Ma'daerah, Pulau Redang, Pulau Perhentian and Rantau Abang have been encouraging in the past few years," she said.
Tumec supervisor Abdul Halim Mat Nor said the eight baby turtles from Batu Buruk had been relocated to the Turtles Information Centre in Rantau Abang.
"The turtle that laid the eggs must have landed on the beach in December but out of 83 eggs, only eight hatched as the rest were ruined after being prematurely exposed to sea water.
"Too bad the turtle was not a leatherback, as Batu Buruk used to be the nesting ground for the largest of all living sea turtles," said Halim, who revealed there were nine leatherback landings in Rantau Abang last year.
It was sad but true, said Turtle Conservation Centre co-founder and chief executive officer Prof Dr Chan Eng Heng who is one of the country's leading experts in turtle research, conservation and education.
Commenting on the recent find of a turtle's nest at Batu Buruk beach, the retired marine biodiversity and conservation professor at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, said it was an isolated case where one or two turtles found their way back to their old nesting ground.
"I have been told that eight green turtle hatchlings were found crawling at the Batu Buruk Beach Resort and later, officers from the Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre (Tumec) in Rantau Abang, Dungun, found a nest with more than 70 eggs in it.
"It is good to see turtles making an appearance again at the beach but chances are that the turtle that laid the eggs is what's left of the old batch of turtles that used to nest here and we are not likely to see another turtle for a while."
She said similar occurences could also be detected at other beaches in the state such at Mengabang Telipot, Batu Rakit and Chendering.
"But all is not lost as the number of turtle landings and nestings in Ma'daerah, Pulau Redang, Pulau Perhentian and Rantau Abang have been encouraging in the past few years," she said.
Tumec supervisor Abdul Halim Mat Nor said the eight baby turtles from Batu Buruk had been relocated to the Turtles Information Centre in Rantau Abang.
"The turtle that laid the eggs must have landed on the beach in December but out of 83 eggs, only eight hatched as the rest were ruined after being prematurely exposed to sea water.
"Too bad the turtle was not a leatherback, as Batu Buruk used to be the nesting ground for the largest of all living sea turtles," said Halim, who revealed there were nine leatherback landings in Rantau Abang last year.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Hundreds of sea turtles dead on Odisha coast
Turtles dying en masse on Odisha coast
KalingaTimes 5 Jan 10;
The sighting of bloated and motionless bodies of Oilve Ridley sea turtles lends credence to belief that unlawful trawling operation despite prohibition is in full swing along the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary.
Bodies of dead turtles are sporadically dispersed along the stretch of beach from Dhamra to Paradip coast. The unofficial estimate put the toll at more than 5,000 while the forest officials prefer to restrict the toll at 671.
“The turtles' death toll is on the lower side this time. The vigil and surveillance on trawl fishing is stepped up. That's why, the marine visitors are comparatively safer this year”, Prasanna Kumar Behera, divisional forest officer, Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest division, on the other hand, claimed.
However, the ground reality is grim and it hardly substantiates officials' claim.
The wildlife activists argue that turtles are dying en-masse in several strategic locations and the accidental death of the mute animals is due to uninterrupted trawling.
“Though marine fishing has been banned along the Gahirmatha water territory under OMFRA, 1982, trawl fishing has become a daily ritual. Turtles are getting hit by trawl propeller and are getting killed. The animals are getting entangled in the mono-filament nets that are being used by fishing trawls. The mute species are dying of asphyxiation,” said Sudhansu Parida, an activist of people for animals.
The beaches at places like Satabhaya, Pentha, Agarnasi and Barunei has turned into a graveyard for the Olive Ridley sea turtles. Any day, one would come across the ghastly sight of rows of decomposed bodies of these delicate marine species with pungent smell emanating from the carcasses, Parida told.
The forest department officials admitted the sighting of turtle carcasses at these places. However, they declined to elaborate on the death toll.
Rare turtle sighting on Sabah’s Pulau Mamutik
KOTA KINABALU: The rare sighting of a hawksbill turtle laying eggs at Pulau Mamutik in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park has led to hopes that the endangered species is making a comeback.
The unusual occurrence on Dec 26 was witnessed by staff of Borneo Divers during a barbecue session for trainee divers at the island, according to Borneo Divers managing director Clement Lee.
“It came as a surprise to all of us. We have never encountered sea turtles coming to the (Mamutik) beach to lay eggs,” said Lee, whose company has been conducting Divemaster courses at the island for the last 25 years.
“We were having a barbecue when we spotted the turtle coming very close to the crowd. We had to ask everyone to keep their voices low and switch off the lights to allow the turtle to find a spot to lay her eggs (near a young coconut tree),” he said, explaining that turtles were sensitive to noise and light when they are about to lay eggs.
Lee said the turtle returned to the sea two hours later after laying her eggs.
“We were all so excited. We watched the turtle as it made its way back to the sea,” he said, adding that they immediately alerted the authorities who promptly fenced up the area and documented the time of the event.
Sea turtles lay between 80 to 120 eggs during each landing.
“It takes about eight weeks to hatch,” Lee said.
Pulau Mamutik is the smallest of five islands under the popular marine park. It is about six kilometres from the city.
The unusual occurrence on Dec 26 was witnessed by staff of Borneo Divers during a barbecue session for trainee divers at the island, according to Borneo Divers managing director Clement Lee.
“It came as a surprise to all of us. We have never encountered sea turtles coming to the (Mamutik) beach to lay eggs,” said Lee, whose company has been conducting Divemaster courses at the island for the last 25 years.
“We were having a barbecue when we spotted the turtle coming very close to the crowd. We had to ask everyone to keep their voices low and switch off the lights to allow the turtle to find a spot to lay her eggs (near a young coconut tree),” he said, explaining that turtles were sensitive to noise and light when they are about to lay eggs.
Lee said the turtle returned to the sea two hours later after laying her eggs.
“We were all so excited. We watched the turtle as it made its way back to the sea,” he said, adding that they immediately alerted the authorities who promptly fenced up the area and documented the time of the event.
Sea turtles lay between 80 to 120 eggs during each landing.
“It takes about eight weeks to hatch,” Lee said.
Pulau Mamutik is the smallest of five islands under the popular marine park. It is about six kilometres from the city.
'Greater Phuket' Wins Back a Giant Leatherback
SOMETHING remarkable is happening on the ever-remarkable Andaman Sea coastline.
The tsunami shore has in the past 12 months seen boatpeople pushed out to sea to drift and sometimes to die, and also been declared ''the best five-star destination of 2009'' by the New York Times.
And now, a big mother leatherback is back.
Weighing as much as 300 kilos and stretching to two metres wide, this giant has been coming ashore in the past few weeks at one specific location in ''Greater Phuket'' regularly, to lay eggs.
Marine biologists have been recording the visits of the leatherback to the Phang Nga beach. She only comes back to lay eggs every 25 years, and her time is now.
Remarkable old photographs of giant leatherbacks laying eggs, once thought to be a record of a natural process that would never be seen again, are no longer simply a part of history.
New photographs are being taken as the leatherback comes ashore in a 12-day cycle. In December, she left 99 eggs in the sand. In early January, she left 113.
Biologists know she will be back soon to leave more eggs.
And the hatchings should begin to take place from February 24, with the second batch due to hatch in early March.
The leatherback will return five or seven times, every 12 to 15 days, each time depositing more eggs.
Parrob Plannga, head ranger of the Forests Office in Phang Nga, says the site of the hatchings is being watched day and night to protect the eggs.
''Last year we had just one leatherback turtle appear and lay eggs just once,'' he told Phuketwan ''This turtle is larger and has so far kept to her egg-laying pattern.''
Leatherbacks go back 150 million years, he said. ''They will return to the beach where they hatched just once every 25 years,'' he said.
''We can't care for their eggs in a hatchery because of the characteristics of the hatchlings.
''The young leatherbacks don't swim in circles, they swim in straight lines, so they keep hitting the walls, and eventually die.''
Biologists are concerned that the leatherbacks may be laying more female eggs than males because they can tell from the laying-point on the beach whether each batch is predominantly male or female.
The first year of so of the life of most Andaman coast turtle species remains a mystery.
Once home to five species, Phuket no longer has any turtles hatching on its shores because of increasing coastal development, noise and light.
The tsunami shore has in the past 12 months seen boatpeople pushed out to sea to drift and sometimes to die, and also been declared ''the best five-star destination of 2009'' by the New York Times.
And now, a big mother leatherback is back.Weighing as much as 300 kilos and stretching to two metres wide, this giant has been coming ashore in the past few weeks at one specific location in ''Greater Phuket'' regularly, to lay eggs.
Marine biologists have been recording the visits of the leatherback to the Phang Nga beach. She only comes back to lay eggs every 25 years, and her time is now.
Remarkable old photographs of giant leatherbacks laying eggs, once thought to be a record of a natural process that would never be seen again, are no longer simply a part of history.
New photographs are being taken as the leatherback comes ashore in a 12-day cycle. In December, she left 99 eggs in the sand. In early January, she left 113.
Biologists know she will be back soon to leave more eggs.
And the hatchings should begin to take place from February 24, with the second batch due to hatch in early March.
The leatherback will return five or seven times, every 12 to 15 days, each time depositing more eggs.
Parrob Plannga, head ranger of the Forests Office in Phang Nga, says the site of the hatchings is being watched day and night to protect the eggs.
''Last year we had just one leatherback turtle appear and lay eggs just once,'' he told Phuketwan ''This turtle is larger and has so far kept to her egg-laying pattern.''
Leatherbacks go back 150 million years, he said. ''They will return to the beach where they hatched just once every 25 years,'' he said.
''We can't care for their eggs in a hatchery because of the characteristics of the hatchlings.
''The young leatherbacks don't swim in circles, they swim in straight lines, so they keep hitting the walls, and eventually die.''
Biologists are concerned that the leatherbacks may be laying more female eggs than males because they can tell from the laying-point on the beach whether each batch is predominantly male or female.
The first year of so of the life of most Andaman coast turtle species remains a mystery.
Once home to five species, Phuket no longer has any turtles hatching on its shores because of increasing coastal development, noise and light.
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