Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641:body:0:p61
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 234353–243794

stock was subject to commercial harvest up until 1959[136]. The stock now appears to be recovering well, with good survivorship rates amongst juveniles at foraging grounds and adults at nesting beaches[34]. Combined nesting and foraging ground monitoring means that the demographics of this stock are relatively well understood[30, 145]. Given the longevity of monitoring, it is important to continue monitoring the progress of the stock. The southern Great Barrier Reef green turtle stock is largely managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, with considerable contributions from volunteers, and local and Indigenous communities.
Large numbers of green turtle strandings along the Queensland coast in 2010-11 were attributed to pulse flooding after extreme weather events which damaged seagrass – their main food source[141]. These events are predicted to increase as a result of climate change[67]. Climate change is also predicted to increase sand temperatures which may adversely affect this stock[70].
Due to its proximity to agricultural and urban areas, the stock is at a high risk from the impacts of poor water quality. The proximity to large urban areas also means that turtles are exposed to marine debris from local sources of urban rubbish and fishing gear, which may be ingested. Both water quality and marine debris are currently addressed through the Reef 2050 Plan, of which continued implementation will help manage these threats. This stock is also subject to 'international fisheries bycatch' and 'international take', both of which are largely unquantified.
The accessibility of this stock means that there are opportunities to research impacts of less well understood threats, such as disease, poor water quality and toxin exposure, which can be used to extrapolate outcomes for other, less accessible, stocks.
Priority actions specifically required to recover this stock                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Action Area
    * Quantify and predict the frequency of pulse flood events, their impacts on seagrass meadows, and implement relevant mitigation measures.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            A2, A4
    * Identify and protect suitable beaches and islands that could be used as nesting habitat under a rising sea level model/scenario, to ensure that these are suitable for colonisation in the future.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  A2

    * Manage land-based pollution and recreational activities to reduce marine debris at the source.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      A3

    * Quantify the impact of marine debris ingestion on stock viability.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  A3
    * Understand the sub-lethal impacts of poor water quality and exposure to toxins.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     A4, B3
    * Continue long-term monitoring of index beaches and key foraging areas.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              B1, B2
    * Support implementation of the Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan to build on existing turtle monitoring and water quality management programs in Queensland.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   A4
Measure of success
Stock continues to recover                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                B1, B2

Green – Coral Sea (G-CS)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Unknown
Threats                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       A.