ghost nets, but this their behaviour either directly example Eastern Australian is predominantly and may through mortality may be stock of loggerhead restricted to the increase related to positively or turtles. Torres Strait and energy intoxication, or negatively affected northern Australia. expenditure indirectly by changes to ocean Ghost nets impact and potentially, through loss or currents that are on stocks of reproductive degradation of predicted to occur hawksbill and output. Should habitat. as the climate green turtles that this be changes. Shipping-born nest within the pervasive, the pollution may The spatial and northern GBR and likely result is a expose marine temporal variability, forage in northern reduction in turtles to higher across which these Australia, (also reproductive levels of toxins aspects of climate flatback and olive output for which may result change will act, ridley turtles that affected marine in early mortality provides further nest in Northern turtle species at and/or a higher difficulty for Australia, but a stock level. prevalence of predicting impacts forage within the disease. This on the six species of Marine Park). may also result marine turtle The foraging from the recorded in the habitat of some of Marine Park. marine turtles is sediment that impacted by otter contains toxins trawling. The risk during port posed by this dredging activity is being operations which reviewed as part of may be the Queensland absorbed Government trawl directly or review process. A through the food total of 67 per cent web. of the Marine Park is closed to otter trawling which limits the level of incidental capture and habitat degradation of benthic foraging habitat.
ghost nets, but this is predominantly restricted to the Torres Strait and northern Australia. Ghost nets impact on stocks of hawksbill and green turtles that nest within the northern GBR and forage in northern Australia, (also flatback and olive ridley turtles that nest in Northern Australia, but forage within the Marine Park). The foraging habitat of some marine turtles is impacted by otter trawling. The risk posed by this activity is being reviewed as part of the Queensland Government trawl review process. A total of 67 per cent of the Marine Park is closed to otter trawling which limits the level of incidental capture and habitat degradation of benthic foraging habitat. their behaviour and may increase energy expenditure and potentially, reproductive output. Should this be pervasive, the likely result is a reduction in reproductive output for affected marine turtle species at a stock level. either directly through mortality related to intoxication, or indirectly through loss or degradation of habitat. Shipping-born pollution may expose marine turtles to higher levels of toxins which may result in early mortality and/or a higher prevalence of disease. This may also result from the of sediment that contains toxins during port dredging operations which may be absorbed directly or through the food web. example may be positively or negatively affected by changes to ocean currents that are predicted to occur as the climate changes. The spatial and temporal variability, across which these aspects of climate change will act, provides further difficulty for predicting impacts on the six species of marine turtle recorded in the Marine Park. Eastern Australian stock of loggerhead turtles.
gbrmpa_VA_Marine%20turtle_15%20September%202014_final.docx