Please select your home edition
Edition
Allen Dynamic 40 Leaderboard

$300,000 for turtle nest cooling trial at Mon Repos

by Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority 20 Dec 2020 22:33 PST
Six of the world's seven species of marine turtle live within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area © Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley today announced that $300,000 will be invested in beach shading and cooling trials at the world-renowned Mon Repos turtle rookery near Bundaberg, home to the largest concentration of nesting marine turtles on the eastern Australian mainland.

Mon Repos is the site of one of Australia's longest running turtle research and monitoring programs and the funding is part of the Morrison Government's $6 million Reef 2050 and Natural Heritage Trust funded Great Barrier Reef Green Turtle Research program aimed at improving our understanding of the habitat needs of turtles, while also supporting the work of Traditional Owners and Land and Sea Rangers to co-manage turtle populations that forage and nest in their sea country.

The $300,000 will support innovative trials to cool turtle nests at the site.

The next phase of these trials, which gets under way during next year's turtle nesting (October to March), builds on work by the Queensland Government aimed at determining whether cooling parts of the nesting beach can address the increased proportion of female hatchlings caused by higher nest temperatures.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority will work with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service through the Reef Joint Field Management Program to monitor the success of the nest cooling trials which aims to produce a more balanced mix of both male and female hatchlings.

Minster Ley said the monitoring work would determine whether the cooling technique could be expanded to other turtle nesting sites elsewhere on the Great Barrier Reef.

"We know that the sex of a sea turtle is determined by the temperature at which the egg is incubated and that we are seeing higher temperatures produce more females," Minister Ley said.

"This is about working with scientists to look at the ways we can help the ecosystem adapt and become more resilient in the face of higher temperatures and changing climate.

"It is part of a wider approach to resilience and adaptation investments being led by the Morrison Government from IVF style coral spawning, to coral restoration, improved water quality, land management and crown-of-thorns starfish control.

"Mon Repos is perfectly placed for the trial - it supports the most significant loggerhead turtle nesting population in the South Pacific region and nesting turtles have been monitored here since 1968."

The long-term focus at Mon Repos means most nesting females have been tagged previously and the trials can be controlled to a high degree. Undertaking these trials under controlled conditions at Mon Repos creates a platform that may allow them to be expanded and implemented across remote area nesting sites.

The Australian Government's $6 million Great Barrier Reef Green Turtle Research program involves researchers and Indigenous rangers joining forces to better understand the turtle population and its important nesting rookeries and foraging habitats.

Related Articles

IMOCAs in the Rolex Fastnet Race
Ocean racing's state of the art One of the most historic and eternally ground-breaking oceanic racing yacht classes is the IMOCA. These 60 footers are the world's most advanced offshore racing monohulls, the class used in the Vendée Globe since its inception in 1989/90. Posted on 16 Jul
18th Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona summary
Yachts from over 10 countries and around 400 sailors competed off the coast of Barcelona Barcelona's prestigious regatta for Classic and Vintage yachts, the Puig Vela Clàssica, celebrated its 18th edition, further strengthening its position as one of the premier international events for classic sailing in the Mediterranean. Posted on 16 Jul
SailGP - Fresh breezes predicted
Fresh breezes are forecast the first day of racing in SailGP and the Admirals Cup. With two days remaining to the start of racing in SailGP Portsmouth, the forecast is for fresh breezes on both racedays, which should make for exciting racing. Posted on 16 Jul
Register for the 2025 Melges 24 U.S. Nationals
Hosted by Pensacola Yacht Club (PYC) on November 14-16 Online Registration is officially open for the 2025 U.S. National Championship, hosted by Pensacola Yacht Club (PYC) on November 14-16, 2025. Posted on 16 Jul
Nominations open for World Sailing Awards 2025
Presentation to be held at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire on 5th November Many of the sport's biggest names will be in attendance at the World Sailing Awards 2025, held on Wednesday 5 November at a gala ceremony at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland. Posted on 16 Jul
Mackay Bieker BM-V3 dominates at 2025 Moth Worlds
Innovation was on display at the just concluded Moth Worlds across nearly every area of the boat. The 2025 Moth World Championships in Lake Garda delivered thrilling racing across a wide range of conditions, featuring an elite lineup of Olympic champions, America's Cup helmsmen, SailGP stars, and the next group of up-and-coming youth. Posted on 16 Jul
A Q&A on the 2025 Corsair Nationals and the BBMHR
Peter Vakhutinsky and Andy Houlding discuss the 2025 Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Re If you race, sail, or love multihulls and live in New England (or the Northeast), the Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Regatta should be on your radar. Posted on 16 Jul
HYC names Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup team
Howth Yacht Club is proud to confirm its final team selection Howth Yacht Club is proud to confirm its final team selection for one of the most prestigious events in world amateur sailing: the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, taking place in Newport, Rhode Island from 6-13 September 2025. Posted on 16 Jul
52nd Annual Governor's Cup Yacht Race preview
One of those time-honored traditions for Chesapeake Bay sailors With a 68.6-nautical-mile main race course from Annapolis, three other race routes are available to area sailors, all finishing at St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM). Posted on 16 Jul
OK Dinghy World Ranking July 2025
Patric Mure is the new World No.1 Patric Mure has become only the 11th person to reach the top of the OK Dinghy World Ranking list as he takes over the No.1 spot from Australia's Roger Blasse, who drops to fourth. Britain's Andy Davis and Nick Craig move up to second and third. Posted on 16 Jul
Henri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeNorth Sails Loft 57 PodcastMackay Boats 728x90 BOTTOM