Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641:body:0:p90
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641
Segment Type: other
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Character Range: 633050–649530

nesting in their local areas as part of land and sea management activities.
Large numbers of olive ridley turtles are reported drowned each year in ghost nets that have washed up in the Northern Territory[256]. Historically, olive ridley turtles are likely to have made up a major proportion of turtles captured in trawl bycatch and the introduction of compulsory turtle excluder devices in Australian trawl fisheries has substantially reduced this threat[136]. Olive ridley turtle nests on the Tiwi Islands are frequently inundated by high tides, and cyclones have impacted nesting success[244, 246]. Infrastructure for oil/gas storage and processing is currently limited in Northern Territory waters, but is projected to expand. These types of developments can result in altered light horizons, increased boat and human activity, altered beach profiles, and changes to the benthic environment. Associated port developments also increase the risk of pollutant spills and marine debris. While olive ridley turtle are the least frequently reported species in fishery logbooks, there is a large proportion of unidentified turtles, which could include olive ridley turtles[196]. This combined with the small size of the stock means that fisheries interaction may be affecting the viability of the stock. Terrestrial predation of nests is severe across northern Australia[36, 107]. It is not known the extent to which this stock is impacted by terrestrial predation. Given this is one of only two stocks of olive ridley turtles nesting in Australia it is important to understand trends in nesting abundance to better understand the status of the species and assess the efficacy of management programs.
Priority actions specifically required to recover this stock                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Action Area
    * Liaise at a regional scale to address and reduce the source of marine debris in Australian waters.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               A3
    * Devise innovative methods for the early identification and intervention of ghost nets entering the Gulf of Carpentaria.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          A3
    * Support collection of tissue samples from stranded marine turtles.
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    * Ensure clean-up activities are timed appropriately to coincide with on-shore peaks in marine debris (i.e. prior to wet season).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  A3
    * Maintain and expand partnership arrangements for the collection of marine debris (both onshore and offshore).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A3
    * Quantify and model how changes in ambient temperatures (sand and water), sea level, frequency of extreme weather events, ocean circulation and acidification affect marine turtle nesting, sex ratios, hatching success, habitats, food availability and their ability adapt to these changes.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   A2

    * Identify and protect areas likely to provide refugia and range expansion.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        A2
    * Ensure that spill risk strategies and response programs include management for turtles and their habitats, particularly in reference to slow to recover habitats, e.g. seagrass meadows or corals.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               A4

    * Quantify the extent to which terrestrial predation effects