Volunteers praised for turtle efforts

Marine biologist David Waayers last week told Hedland volunteers they were crucial to enabling scientists to better understand the habits of WA’s flatback turtles.

He said results from environmental group Care For Hedland’s first 10 years of flatback turtle tracking and monitoring, which he had just published in a scientific paper, supported those from other nesting beaches on the WA coast.

He said scientists now believed all North West Shelf flatbacks came from the same genetic pool and that most gathered in feeding grounds in the Kimberley before heading south to nest.

“Eighty per cent of flatbacks are migrating to the northern parts of the Kimberley and they are all gathering in foraging areas, ” he said. “(Then) they are potentially moving (back) down the coast together and copulating … before visiting rookeries. (But) to get this broad understanding of how and where the turtles live, the work you do (as volunteers in Hedland) is critical.”

Mr Waayers said the report had been peer-reviewed by the scientific community and could now be handed to authorities to help plan conservation policies.

He said the monitoring, which started in 2004, had identified one in four tagged turtles returned to Cemetery Beach each year to nest. Mr Waayers said this consistent behaviour made flatbacks an ideal species to use a baseline or barometer of the health of Hedland’s marine environment.

But one area of concern was flatback mothers’ low rate of nesting success at Cemetery Beach.

Mr Waayers recommended research be done into the health of Cemetery Beach’s habitat.

Care for Hedland also recognised the work of its turtle monitors with Christine Biegsen claiming chairperson’s choice for best volunteer and Anna Winkler the most valuable volunteer.

Ziva Trenfield won most valuable junior volunteer.

The monitors together clocked more than 900 volunteer hours.