Turtle conservation protocols are being tested for the first time to improve the health of young, endangered loggerheads at Queensland's most popular nesting beach.
Lead researcher Dr Caitlin Smith from James Cook University (JCU) TropWATER explained that the Mon Repos conservation park - near Bundaberg in central Queensland - is the state's largest loggerhead rookery.
"Relocating sea turtle eggs considered to be 'doomed' has been a practice used here for decades," Dr Smith said.
"But protocols around best practices for relocating turtle eggs have yet to be investigated thoroughly and need to go beyond ensuring eggs survive to hatch.
"Understanding how different relocation methods impact hatchling quality allows us to refine current conservation practices and give loggerhead hatchlings the strongest start possible, a critical step in protecting the species for generations to come."
Dr Smith explained why relocating loggerhead turtle eggs is important for the survival of this threatened species.
"Turtle eggs are relocated to protect them against tidal inundation, beach erosion from increasing storm frequency and intensity, as well as predation from animals like foxes, goannas, and wild pigs," she said.
"These turtles also have temperature-dependent sex determination, meaning that sand temperature dictates whether the hatchlings become male or female.
"Due to climate change, we're seeing a trend of feminisation of sea turtle hatchlings, in addition to mortality from high nest temperatures.
"To balance out female production, some nesting beaches relocate eggs into shaded hatcheries to cool down sand temperatures."
Funded by the Seaworld Foundation, JCU and Griffith University researchers of the 'Healthy Hatchlings' project relocated 40 loggerhead sea turtle clutches earlier this month to test three common relocation techniques: caged to reduce risks from predators, elevated beach dunes to reduce risk of being washed away, and shaded hatcheries to reduce temperatures.
Hatchlings are measured according to real-life survival capabilities: crawling speed, swimming speed, weight and size, and how quickly they can flip over after being placed on their back.
"When hatchlings are less agile or are slow when making their way down to the sea and when swimming, that's a direct impact on their survivability once they get into the water," Dr Smith said.
While the nest relocation trials are a first step in this project, the researchers hope that the results can be used to enhance turtle conservation programs across Australia.
"In the context of a rapidly changing world, particularly along our coastlines, sea turtles are hugely impacted," Dr Smith said.
"Only one in 1000 hatchlings make it to sexual maturity.
"But when we're influencing nest locations and conditions, we can influence this statistic by improving hatchling health, so they have the best chance to survive into adulthood."
