Management Concern: High    

Adequacy of Information: Good

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• Five of the six species of marine turtle on the Great Barrier Reef have declined; the loggerhead, flatback and green turtle nesting populations appear to have stabilised or are now increasing.
• Current cumulative pressures on marine turtles in the Great Barrier Reef include incidental capture in some fishing gear, boat strike, ingestion and entanglement in marine debris, illegal hunting, unsustainable traditional hunting, coastal development impacting nesting beaches and hatching success, and disease. Future loss of habitat for nesting sites from predicted sea level rise poses an extreme risk to nesting species.
• Non-targeted catch (bycatch) in the commercial inshore net fishery includes a number of species of conservation concern that may be injured or killed in the nets, including marine turtles. Small marine turtles can drown in crab pots or may become entangled in pot float lines.
  

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online include:

• Marine wildlife and mortality stranding database annual report 2003: marine turtles (published in 2008)  [1.5 MB] 
  
• Population modelling of green turtle populations in the Great Barrier Reef region
  
• Population status of green turtles in the Northern Great Barrier Reef stock - Raine Island report 2003
  
• Population declines for green turtles nesting in the northern Great Barrier Reef
  
• Population of flatback turtles in the Great Barrier Reef
  
• Population decline of hawksbill turtles within the Great Barrier Reef
  
• Recovery of loggerhead turtles in Queensland
  
• Biological review of Australian marine turtle species. 1. Loggerhead turtle
  
• The use of internesting habitat off Mon Repos by Loggerhead turtles
  
• Leatherback turtle populations in the Great Barrier Reef region 
  
• Gazettal of Woongara Marine Park 1991
  
• Management arrangements for Raine Island restrict access to the island and surrounding waters
  
• Population status of Green turtles in the southern Great Barrier Reef stock
• Flatback turtles in the Great Barrier Reef
• Status of Hawksbill turtles in the Great Barrier Reef
• Population status of Loggerhead turtles in the Great Barrier Reef
• Recovery of Green turtles in the Great Barrier Reef region
• Population status of Green turtles in the southern Great Barrier Reef stock
• Incorporating turtle habitats into Marine Protected Area design for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park 
• Impact of bycatch reduction devices in the Queensland trawl fishery
• Use of bycatch reduction devices (BRD's) 
• Impact of commercial net fisheries on dugong, dolphin and turtle populations
• Fisheries: gear type and impacts on habitats and protected species
• Impacts of marine debris, fishing lines and hooks on marine turtles
• Impact of entanglement in crab pots on marine turtles
• Impact of ghost nets derived from commercial fisheries
• Exploiting marine wildlife in Queensland: the commercial dugong and marine turtle fisheries 1847-1969 
• Green turtle population recovery post fishery in the Capricorn Bunkers
• The national recreational and indigenous fishing survey

Existing policies and management actions

• Site specific management - Raine Island, Moulter Cay and MacLennan Cay
• Conservation status of marine turtles in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
  
• Marine turtles in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
  
• Queensland Fisheries Strategy 2009-2014 
• Queensland Fisheries Policies and Legislation 
• Permit conditions for specific activities
  
• Fisheries: legislative management arrangements
  
• Queensland Fisheries monitoring
  
• Queensland Management of Commercial Fisheries
  
• Queensland Management of Recreational Fisheries
  
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan

Future management requirements

• Biodiversity strategy

Defined research questions

• There are currently no defined research questions for this topic. Research questions will be developed, giving priority to interactions/issues that are of most concern to management.

Related information

• Current Research and Monitoring