City of Moreton Bay celebrates successful turtle season

City of Moreton Bay Council has celebrated another successful turtle nesting season as part of World Turtle Day on 23 May.

Six of the world’s seven species of marine turtle have been recorded in Moreton Bay and this season there were 26 loggerhead turtle nests recorded on Bribie Island within the City of Moreton Bay boundary. 

Female loggerhead turtles lay multiple clutches each nesting season, and each clutch averages 125 eggs. Rising sand temperatures due to climate change are making more of Queensland’s nesting beaches warmer and creating a feminisation of turtle populations which can impact their abilities to breed in the future. 

Mayor, Peter Flannery said World Turtle Day presents an opportunity to focus on the turtle conservation efforts of both Council and the broader community, particularly by the Bribie Island Turtle Trackers. 

“City of Moreton Bay has implemented a number of measures to protect marine turtles during breeding season, including the installation of shade structures to block light spillage onto nests, modification of lighting adjacent to turtle nesting beaches, and community education,” the Mayor said.

“We’ve also been collecting sand temperature data on our nesting beaches, with results showing promising temperatures for producing more male hatchlings. 

“Temperatures of our nesting beaches this season averaged at 27.39 degrees Celsius in non-shaded areas and 26.54 degrees Celsius in shaded areas.  

“We know that in Far North Queensland, sand temperatures of above 29.1 degrees Celsius are producing mostly female hatchlings, so City of Moreton Bay’s nesting grounds play an important role in safeguarding future turtle populations,” he said. 

Council works closely alongside volunteers from Bribie Island Turtle Trackers, who monitor beaches daily during the entire nesting season, providing data on nest locations that is then shared on a live map to inform any maintenance or project works. Council also installs shade structures around vulnerable nests identified by volunteers to give hatchlings the best chance of survival. 

Turtle hatchlings rely on environmental cues to navigate towards the ocean when they emerge from nests. Unfortunately, they can become disoriented by artificial lighting, causing them to head inland instead of the moon guiding them towards the water. 

Simple ways you can help nesting turtles and hatchlings include:

• Keep off sand dunes to avoid erosion or potentially impacting a nest.
• If you live or are holidaying next to the beach during nesting season, turn off outdoor lights and block light spillage from 7:30pm to minimise the lights shining on the beaches. 
• Be a responsible pet owner by keeping dogs on a leash or within an approved dog off leash area and off the dunes. 
• Follow directions in go-slow areas for turtles and dugongs. Keep vessels at reduced speeds in estuaries, sandy straits, and shallow inshore areas. 
• Only use legal crab pots and inspect them regularly to ensure turtles aren’t caught in your pots or float lines.  
• Remember that run-off from your property enters stormwater drains, which ultimately ends up in Moreton Bay.  
• Join a local volunteer or Bushcare group. 

For more information, visit Marine turtle nesting and protection – City of Moreton Bay.