Drone video shows 64,000 turtles swimming to shore near Great Barrier Reef to nest
Researchers in Queensland, Australia exploring new ways to conduct turtle population surveys realized drone footage is the most efficient way to collect unbiased, accurate data.
The hovering vehicles captured 64,000 green turtles approaching the shore of Raine Island — the world’s largest nesting site for the reptiles — located on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef, according to a news release.
It’s the largest number of turtles observed since the beginning of the Raine Island Recovery Project.
The footage was taken in December, which is the green turtles’ peak nesting time in Australia, and published Monday alongside a study in the journal PLOS ONE.
“By using drones we have adjusted historical data. What previously took a number of researchers a long time can now be by one drone operator in under an hour,” study co-author Richard Fitzpatrick, a member of the Biopixel Oceans Foundation, said in the news release.
Other methods used to document turtle populations involve painting non-toxic white stripes on their shells while nesting on the sand. Scientists would then search for and count the painted turtles while on small boats in the water.
“Eyes are attracted much more to a turtle with a bright white stripe than an unpainted turtle, resulting in biased counts and reduced accuracy,” Andrew Dunstan, lead author of the study from the Queensland Department of Environment and Science, said in the release.
“Trying to accurately count thousands of painted and unpainted turtles from a small boat in rough weather was difficult. Using a drone is easier, safer, much more accurate, and the data can be immediately and permanently stored,” Dunstan said.
Dunstan added that underwater GoPro videos are a “useful” alternative to in-water turtle surveys.
Improving survey techniques can help to “protect and restore the island’s critical habitat,” the release said.
Found off the coasts of 140 countries, green turtles are considered threatened or endangered, depending on where they live, under the Endangered Species Act, according to Monterey Bay Aquarium.
They can grow to up to 4 feet long, weigh up to 400 pounds and live for an estimated 80 years, the aquarium said.
Green turtles are frequently caught in fishing nets and their eggs often fall prey to hungry dogs, raccoons, birds and crabs.
Illegal and unregulated harvesting also threatens the reptile’s populations, the aquarium added.
“We’re taking action to improve and rebuild the island’s nesting beaches and building fences to prevent turtle deaths, all working to strengthen the island’s resilience and ensure the survival of our northern green turtles and many other species,” Great Barrier Reef Foundation Managing Director Anna Marsden said in the release.
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Drone video shows 64,000 turtles swimming to shore near Great Barrier Reef to nest."
