Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641:body:0:p67
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 301561–320082

recover this stock                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Action Area
    * Support the implementation of management plans and build capacity to undertake monitoring, education, and compliance management of marine turtles.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      A1, A2, A3, A6, A10
    * Understand the risk of entanglement for this stock.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     A3
    * Quantify predation of eggs and hatchlings by terrestrial predators.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     A6
    * Ensure that spill risk strategies include management for marine turtles and their habitats.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             A4
    * Initiate long term monitoring of nesting turtle abundance at index beaches.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             B1
Measure of success
Long-term monitoring is established for this stock.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           B1

Green – North West Shelf (G-NWS)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Stable[136]
Threats                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     C. Chemical and terrestrial discharge – acute   High
G. Light pollution                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          High
Important nesting areas                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Internesting Buffer: 20 km
Major: Lacepedes, Montebello, Barrow, Muiron, Browse Islands and Northwest Cape[136].                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Mating: Sep–Dec
Minor: Boodie, Middle, Serrurier, Thevenard, Lowendal, Rosemary, Legendre, Delambre Islands and various mainland beaches, Shark Bay to Ningaloo and Kimberley Coast[136].                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Nesting: Nov–Mar (peak: Dec–Feb)
Index beaches monitored: Gnaraloo Bay[94], Lacepedes (1990s- ), Ningaloo Coast (2000s‑), Montebello, Barrow[39], Muiron, and Browse Islands, Northwest Cape[136].                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Hatching: Jan–May (peak: Feb–Mar)
Foraging habitat
Post-hatchling/young juveniles: Unknown. Likely to disperse through much of the Indian Ocean/Arafura Sea.
Juvenile-adult: Tidal/sub-tidal habitats with coral reef, mangrove, sand, rocky reefs and mudflats where there are algal turfs or seagrass meadows present[18]. A proportion of turtles may also remain resident in the open ocean[92].
Foraging grounds monitored: Ningaloo[195], Uunguu Rangers monitor Wunambal Gaamera sea country using ITracker[114]. A small proportion of green turtles foraging at Cocos Keeling are from the North West Shelf stock[249].Genetic analysis[50] indicates this stock is found foraging at Ashmore Reef, Fog Bay, Cobourg and Field Island, and also at Shark Bay and Cocos Keeling[117].
Distribution: See Figure 9.
Stock description
The North West Shelf stock is one of the largest green turtle stocks in the world and the largest in the Indian Ocean[205]. Historically, green turtles were harvested in the region by early explorers and as part of a commercial fishery (1870 to 1973)[82] and a large number of juvenile and adult turtles died as a result of atomic bomb testing in the Montebello Island Group in the 1950's[181]. More recently, bycatch of turtles in trawls was problematic until the introduction of turtle excluder devices in trawl fisheries.
Nesting occurs over a large geographic range with nesting on offshore islands and the mainland. Management is overseen by the Western Australian Government through the Management Plan for the Montebello/Barrow Islands Marine Conservation Reserves 2007-2017[46], Barrow Group Nature Reserves Management Plan[48], and Eighty Mile Beach Marine Park Management Plan 2014-2024[47]. Indigenous communities along the coast monitor foraging grounds through a variety of programs such as I-tracker[114]. Offshore nesting is considered largely secure from terrestrial predation. Mainland terrestrial