Trends in Marine Turtle Strandings along the East Queensland, Australia Coast, between 1996 and 2013

Jaylene Flint,Paul C Mills,Colin J Limpus,Mark Flint

doi:10.1155/2015/848923

Abstract

In-water monitoring of marine vertebrates is usually expensive while the use of stranding data can be used to provide a cost-effective estimation of disease and mortality. Strandings for Queensland are recorded in a web based database (StrandNet) managed by the Queensland Government’s Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP). Data recorded in StrandNet from the east coast of Queensland between 1996 and 2013 were investigated for patterns of stranding. Significant trends in Queensland over this time were (i) an increase in the number of animals reported stranded within this study site; (ii) a species (loggerhead and green marine turtles) prevalence; (iii) a seasonal effect on different age classes stranding with most overall strandings occurring between August and November; and (iv) stranding hotspots (Moreton Bay, Hervey Bay, Rockhampton region, and Cleveland Bays) persisting throughout the study timeframe. This study suggested that intervention strategies, such as rehabilitation, should be able to be focussed on periods of heightened importance and specific localities to minimize health risks and contribute to sustainable use of resources.

Highlights

All six species of marine turtles found within Australian waters are listed as species of conservation concern under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and in Queensland waters under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992
Records are received from members of the public and employees of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP), Queensland Parks and Wildlife (QPWS), Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA)
Total number of strandings for each species and age class showed that the observed number was significantly different to the expected numbers of loggerhead small immature, loggerhead adult sized, loggerhead large immature, green large immature, and green adult sized, green small immature, and unknown species (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

All six species of marine turtles found within Australian waters are listed as species of conservation concern under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and in Queensland waters under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. Monitoring stranded marine turtles along the Queensland coast provides a measure of the effectiveness of these legislations and other temporary protection measures. Peltier et al [1] assessed the quantitative significance of stranding events as an estimation of the fraction of cetacean carcasses that were drifting as opposed to those that washed ashore. They found that 57% and 87% of stranded common dolphins originated from within the 100 m and 500 m isobaths, respectively [1]. This suggested that stranding data may be used to identify trends and potential issues occurring in the near-shore environment but inferences about at-sea-deaths cannot be drawn

Methods

Results

Conclusion