Sea Turtles as Tropical Ocean Observers

This was project is a collaboration between the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), the Department of Defence, Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) and the Sydney Institute of Marine Science. The tea,m partnered with the Tiwi Islands Marine Rangers and the Tiwi Land Council partnered and the Crocodile Islands Rangers and Milingimbi Outstations Progress Resource Aboriginal Corporation (MOPRA). Traditional Owners of both areas gave consent for the team to work on their sea country and on these culturally important species.

We deployed satellite linked tags on female turtles after they had completed nesting on the beach. Tagged turtles included olive ridley turtles on the Tiwi Islands (in May 2022) and flatback turtles (in Oct 2022) and olive ridley turtles (in May 2023) at the remote Crocodile Islands. The tags track the turtle movements anand collect temperature and salinity data from the ocean as they dive. This information will provide a better understanding of turtle habitats and behaviours around the islands and beyond to inform conservation and management and assist the dDepartment of Defence to understand the oceanography in the little-studied Arafura Sea.