That’s a wrap on turtle time

Care for Hedland Environmental Association’s Turtle Monitoring Program is preparing to conclude its 22nd consecutive season at Cemetery and Pretty Pool beaches in late February, which will mark 125 days of monitoring since activities began in early October 2025.

The nesting season for female flatback turtles has now ended, with the final nests recorded on January 20 at Cemetery Beach and January 1 at Pretty Pool Beach.

Observations of hatched nests have also begun to decline, signalling the natural close of the season.

During the 2025–26 season, volunteers recorded 493 successful nests, 601 false crawls and 227 hatchling emergence events, resulting in an estimated 3684 hatchlings.

Compared with data from the past seven years, this season is considered a low nesting year and has shown an increase in false crawls, which occur when turtles come ashore but do not lay eggs.

This rise may be linked to unusually dry sand conditions, making nest excavation difficult.

A decline in hatchling emergences has also been observed for the past two seasons, potentially associated with increasing sand temperatures. Studies suggest lethal incubation temperatures for flatback turtles at Cemetery Beach range between 34.6°C and 40°C.

Cemetery Beach remained the primary nesting site, accounting for 462 successful nests and about 3527 hatchlings.

Pretty Pool Beach recorded 31 successful nests and an estimated 157 hatchlings.

While numbers at Pretty Pool are consistent with last season, the site has experienced a gradual decline in nesting activity over recent years.

As part of the program, a 50-night mark-recapture study was undertaken between October and December.

A total of 121 individual female flatback turtles were identified, including 12 first-time nesters, known as “new recruits.”

Flatback turtles typically return to the beach where they hatched to nest around 20 years later, making the appearance of new recruits particularly significant.

The season was supported by 163 local volunteers who contributed more than 1325 hours, as well as 11 visiting volunteers who added more than 500 hours.

Community education and engagement remained a strong focus, with guided tours, training sessions and public nesting events allowing hundreds of people to learn about flatback turtles and their conservation.

Care for Hedland Environmental Association has thanked its volunteers and supporters and is looking ahead to celebrating 23 years of turtle monitoring in the 2026–27 season.