Queensland Environmental Protection Agency, 2008:

"Beaches in the south-east of the Queensland mainland and on the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) are the primary breeding area for loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta, in the southern Pacific Ocean. Wreck Island was the most significant breeding site within this population. It has been one of the key index beaches to be monitored annually for assessing the trends in our loggerhead population. These data show a major decline in loggerhead turtle nesting since the 1970s (Figure 4).

By the late 1980s, the excessive mortality of loggerhead turtles in prawn trawl fisheries of eastern and northern Australia was identified as the most significant mortality factor causing this population decline. Trawl by-catch mortality directly affects populations of adult and large immature loggerheads.

The use of TEDs (turtle exclusion devices) in prawn trawls became compulsory in 2001 for the east coast trawl fishery and the northern prawn fishery. The census data from Wreck Island and other loggerhead index beaches all show that the decline in loggerhead breeding has ceased since 2001. This is an indicator that TEDs are working to reduce turtle mortality. We now have the challenge of rebuilding this very depleted population. Given that it takes about 30 years from birth to first breeding, recovery will be a slow process."

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Citation and/or URL

Queensland Environmental Protection Agency 2008, State of the Environment Queensland 2007. The State of Queensland. Environmental Protection Agency, Brisbane, Australia.

http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/soe-online/SOWEB300.jsp?IndicatorId=392 

Spatial Coverage

Wreck Island, Central Queensland

Temporal Coverage

30 years

Update Frequency

Annual

Other Information

Limpus, C.J. (2007). Queensland Parks Wildlife Service Marine Turtle Database, Environmental Protection Agency, Queensland Government, Brisbane

Limpus, C.J. (1985). A study of the loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, in eastern Australia., PhD Thesis, Zoology Department, University of Queensland