The following information is specifically related to Loggerhead Turtles in Australia.

Conservation status

Australia – National: ‘Endangered’ [Environmental Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999]

Australia – Queensland: ‘Endangered’ [Nature Conservation Act 1992]

Australia - Western Australia: Specially Protected Fauna

Distribution and habitat

In Australia Loggerhead Turtles occur on subtidal and intertidal coral and rocky reefs, seagrass beds and deeper soft-bottomed habitats in tropical and warm temperate waters off Queensland, N Territory, W Australia, and NSW.

Tag returns indicate that loggerhead turtles nesting on the Great Barrier Reef migrate to the Gulf of Carpentaria, Arnhem Land, Torres Strait, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Northern Territory and NSW; and those nesting in W Australia migrate to the Northern Territory and Indonesia.

Breeding

Nesting season: In Queensland, from late October to early March. Hatchlings emerge late December until early April.

Native predators on hatchlings Kookaburras, crows, raptors, gulls, reef egrets, ghost crabs, fish.

Breeding areas:

There are two major breeding areas in Australia:

• Queensland - mainly in the southern Great Barrier Reef, Wreck, Erskine and Tryon Islands, Wreck Rock Beach and Price Cay, and the mainland near Bundaberg. Nearly 95% of nesting sea turtles on the Bundaberg coastline are loggerheads. Eastern Australian nesting beaches support the only significant stock of loggerhead turtles in the S Pacific.
• Western Australia - around Murion Island and Shark Bay.

Main threats

Predation of eggs and hatchlings by foxes along the Bundaberg coast and by feral pigs on beaches in N Queensland.

Loggerhead turtle populations have declined 50-80% since the 1970s. Their long maturation and low reproductive rate mean they are at serious risk of extinction from any increase in death rates. An annual loss of only a few loggerheads could result in extinction of the Queensland population.