GPS devices are helping to track the movements of Moreton Bay’s Loggerhead and Green Turtles.

The new technology is allowing the government to plot the location of go slow zones where turtles frequent.

Peter Addley reports.

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TRANSCRIPT

This female loggerhead is the latest turtle to be tracked by state of the art GPS technology.

She is part of a turtle release in Moreton Bay’s go slow zones where there’s been a drop in the number of turtles struck by boats.

Kate Jones, Sustainability Minister: “What we’re seeing in some of the go slow zones we’ve seen a reduction by half in the number that have been hit by boat strikes. This tells me the go slow zones are working.”

These devices allow Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service officers to accurately determine the migratory patterns of Loggerhead and Green Turtles along the east coast of Australia.

Kate Jones, Sustainability Minister: “For the first time we have almost precision data where these turtles like to travel in Moreton Bay. This will help us have a greater understanding of protection these species for future generations.”

The minister says the go slow zones will remain in place for now due to the encouraging results of the research.

Over 1000 loggerheads have been tagged by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service since the introduction of this new, GPS tracking technology.

Further research into the migration of the turtles will continue until February when Loggerhead Turtles will begin to move north to breed.

Peter Addley, QUT News.