Australia: Loggerhead sea turtle baby boom

Fleur Bainger ABC News 26 Jan 12;

Ningaloo Marine Park on Western Australia's Coral Coast is preparing itself for a baby boom.

But not of the human kind - the World Heritage Listed strip is on track for a larger than expected hatching of loggerhead turtles, one of the most endangered species of sea turtle in the world.

Environmental scientists volunteering at the Gnaraloo Turtle Conservation Program, 150kms north of Carnarvon, say turtles started laying earlier than expected late last year.

Kimmie Riskas, from the USA, says this points to a likely increase in baby turtle numbers.

"When the turtles arrive earlier on, then it's a good indicator that the season's off to an early start, and that can either mean that the season will end earlier aswell, or that there's actually more turtles coming up to nest," she says.

The region has recently been named the planet's third most important breeding ground for loggerheads.

Gnaraloo Bay is at the southern end of Ningaloo and where the international crew of scientists, who donate their time and services to the conservation program for months at a time, are gathering data on the behaviour of these rare turtles.

Unusually, the program is fully funded by the station owner who leases the land.

Both he and the volunteers hope to ensure the turtles' and the land's preservation through stronger data recording, pointing to the significance of the species and the site.

The bay is exceptionally remote, and with its ochre soils, contrasting white beaches and marine-life jammed ocean, it's an eye-popping destination for anyone who braves the corrugated dirt roads to get there.

Fiona Morgan, from Perth, says she volunteers for the love of the animals, as well as worthy experience on her CV. She remembers the first time she saw a turtle lay eggs.

"I was sitting about a metre away, getting sand thrown over me as she was digging her pit; I got to watch her lay the eggs and walk off. It was a feeling and a rush I've never had before, 2am, laying on a pristine beach, watching shooting stars and having a turtle throw sand over you. I don't think many people can say they've done that."

The turtles only start to reproduce at about 30 years of age, and only nest every two to five years, so there is much still to be learnt. The conservation program hopes to record about 400 loggerhead, green and hawksbill turtle nests - all endangered - by the end of the 2011/12 laying season.

To the north of the known egg laying beaches, the scientists say they've just stumbled upon a new rookery, and are holding further surveillance work in January and February.

Kimmie Riskas says the potential discovery could have world-wide significance.

"Since this new area hasn't been monitored before, it would mean that our current numbers that we have for Gnaraloo Bay for nesting loggerheads, is an under estimation. That could further bump up the numbers we already have for the WA rookery and it would add to our understanding of the area and the global significance of the rookery."

Kimmie Riskas, the team leader with the Gnaraloo Turtle Conservation Program, north of Carnarvon in Western Australia; Fiona Morgan, environmental volunteer from Perth and GIS cartographer