Heavy rain dampens sea turtles’ ardour

HEAVY rain and other natural factors may have hindered turtle monitoring this year, with results indicating turtle breeding in Broome was at an all-time low.

Conservation Volunteers Australia Broome regional Kevin Smith said 13 nests and an estimated 231 hatchlings were recorded this season, compared to last year’s 637 hatchlings. He said this year’s were the lowest annual figures since the program began five years ago.

However, Mr Smith said feedback from other monitoring programs within the region showed numbers were generally down this year.

He said natural factors could have played a part, such as recent heavy rain potentially obscuring turtle tracks, the nesting cycle and the 20-year period for a turtle to reach sexual maturity.

“If you consider the flatback turtle nests every two to five years, take an average of three years and look at three-year cycles, you need to monitor it another four to five years to compare figures,” he said.

Each year volunteers scour 6km of Cable Beach. This season they found most nests were within 2km either side of the surf club.

Mr Smith said although numbers were down, the annual program had raised awareness, which might result in extensive monitoring in other areas for future programs.

“People reported seeing turtle tracks down at Gantheaume Point,” he said.

Although it is nearing the end of the monitoring program, a nest was being monitored as it approached its incubation period this week.

Volunteers recorded two nests during the first weekend of February, with 22 and 30 sets of tracks monitored respectively.