Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641:body:0:p80
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 491574–508661

– south-west Kimberley (F-swKim)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Unknown
Threats                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             C. Chemical and terrestrial discharge – acute   High
Important nesting areas                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Internesting Buffer: 60 km
Major: Eco Beach, Eighty Mile Beach.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Mating: year round
Index beaches monitored: Eco Beach (2008- )[162], Eighty Mile Beach (2008‑ )[47].                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Nesting: all year (peak: Dec–Jan)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Hatching: all year
Foraging habitat
Post-hatchling/young juveniles: Unknown, likely to remain in waters over the Australian continental shelf.
Juvenile-adult: Flatback turtles are known to favour soft sediment habitats that support benthic invertebrates[199]. Important foraging habitat has not been identified for this stock.
Foraging grounds monitored: None.
Distribution: See Figure 14.
Stock description
The genetic relationship between this nesting aggregation and the Cape Domett and Pilbara stocks is currently under review. Aboriginal communities whose sea and land country overlap at Eighty Mile Beach collaborate with the CSIRO and Western Australian Department of Parks and Wildlife to manage and monitor the south-west Kimberley stock. The Management Plan for the Eighty Mile Beach Marine Park Reserve also includes management and monitoring of turtles[47].
The likelihood of impacts from chemical and terrestrial discharge is rising due to the increasing number of oil and gas installations occurring along the Western Australian coast. While the risk of an oil spill is generally considered low, the consequences could be substantial and the risk increases with each activity. The consequences of an oil spill have implications for the immediate health of marine turtles and their nesting, future nesting, water quality and general turtle health[206]. Aboriginal communities have raised concerns regarding the increasing impacts of tourism, fishing and industrial developments on nesting turtle numbers[12]. Turtles nesting at Eco Beach demonstrate low embryonic mortality at high nest temperatures, suggesting some resilience to increased sand temperatures resulting from climate change[162]. Although important foraging areas for this stock have not been identified, it is likely that turtles from this stock encounter ghost nets when at sea as the prevalence of marine debris in the region is increasing from local and international sources[255]. Work undertaken as part of the North West Shelf Flatback Turtle Conservation Program to manage foraging grounds for the Pilbara stock are likely to benefit turtles from the south-west Kimberley stock as turtles will probably overlap at foraging grounds. Existing nest monitoring programs should continue to enable assessment of the efficacy of management programs.
Priority actions specifically required to recover this stock                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Action Area
    * Determine the relatedness of genetic stocks among Western Australian flatback turtle rookeries.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               B3
    * 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

    * Continue the implementation of the North West Shelf Flatback Turtle Conservation Program.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     A1, A6,