Flippin’ out for crucial turtle research

Glencore Queensland Metals’ ongoing commitment to support community environment projects is reflected by our new partnership with James Cook University (JCU) at Townsville.

Glencore is sponsoring $150,000 over the next three years to JCU to research the first few years of a loggerhead turtle’s life, which the scientific community still knows very little about.

The large-headed turtle is listed as endangered by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, which means they may become extinct if the threats to their survival continue unabated.

By finding out more about the threats facing this treasured species, researchers hope to try to reverse the dwindling numbers and maximise the turtle’s chances of long-term survival in the wild.

JCU Turtle Health Research Centre Director, Professor Ellen Ariel says that learning more about the loggerheads during the first vulnerable years, can help inform conservation management strategies that will benefit the entire population of Pacific loggerhead turtles,” says Professor Ariel.

Glencore’s Refinery and Port Operations Manager at Townsville, Paul Taylor, says that Glencore recognises the importance of supporting a range of initiatives within the community covering enterprise development, health, community events, economic diversification and of course, the environment.

“We are proud to support this important project with significant funding over the next three years to expand our knowledge about this fascinating and important marine animal,” says Paul.

“Biodiversity is essential for all life on earth. So, when JCU presented us with the opportunity to contribute to this project and help reverse the decline of this species, we were keen to get behind it,”

Baby turtles collected from Mon Repos, the largest loggerhead nesting beach in Queensland, will be raised at the Turtle Health Research Centre over the next year until they are big enough to be fitted with the satellite trackers and released on the Great Barrier Reef. Their movements through the ocean will be monitored for approximately seven months.

Fun facts

The loggerhead turtle is named for its large head which resembles a floating log when seen from afar. Powerful jaws support their mostly carnivorous diet enabling them to feed on hard-shelled prey such as crab, conch and sea urchin.

Hatchlings from Queensland disperse far and wide, ending up in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia. After spending about 16 years at sea, they returning to Australian waters.

Mature loggerhead females often return to the beach where they hatched to lay their own eggs, sometimes traveling thousands of kilometres. They do this by using the Earth's invisible magnetic field to navigate at sea.

What can you do to help?  

• Decrease your boat speed in estuaries, sandy straights and shallow inshore areas. If you encounter a turtle closer than 50 metres, put your engine in neutral to avoid any injury to the turtle.
• Reduce marine debris and participate in coastal clean-up events.
• Reduce plastic use. Remember that rubbish you throw away can find its way to the sea, where turtles can mistake things such as plastic bags for jellyfish. Plastic swallowed by mistake can cause blockages of the stomach and intestines.
• After a day at the beach, remove all recreational beach equipment and fill in holes and knock down sandcastles before you leave as they can become obstacles for nesting turtles or emerging hatchlings.
• Don’t disturb or touch nesting turtles or hatchlings. Should you find any marine life in distress, contact professional responders.