Turtles found on atomic island

The rare Hawksbill turtle, thought to be isolated to breeding grounds in the Lowendal Islands off Western Australia's north-west coast, has been discovered nesting in the sands of the radioactive Monte Bello Islands some 30 kilometres further north.

      Murdoch University PhD student and environmental researcher, Ms Kellie Pendoley, of Booragoon, made the discovery after flying to the islands where Britain tested its first nuclear weapons some 40 years ago.
      Ms Pendoley has spent the past eight years researching the marine environment around Barrow and Varanus Islands and will base her PhD studies on Hawksbill, Flatback and Green turtles in the area.
      Her thesis is entitled: Sea Turtles and Environmental Management of Industrial Activities in North West Western Australia.
      Ms Pendoley's research is being supported financially by Apache Energy and WAPET (West Australian Petroleum).
      She is also working closely with Associate Professor Stuart Bradley of Murdoch's Biological Sciences programme, and with environmental researcher Keith Morris of CALM, (WA's Department of Conservation and Land Management).
      "Results will be incorporated in the management of a proposed marine park for the area," said Ms Pendoley.
      "I first began work as an Environmental Officer with WAPET in 1991 doing basic work: measuring sand temperature, taking light readings and tracking adult turtles.

The results showed little difference between the flares, as the glow of light on the sky appeared to be the primary influencing factor.

      "At that stage my objective was to determine whether the Thevenard Island (gas) flares were deterring the turtles from coming ashore to nest, and to see if the pit flare -- literally a hole in the ground -- was causing sand temperatures to increase. The sand temperatures were of interest as hatchling sex is determined by temperature."
      In 1996 Ms Pendoley initiated a study on the influence of light on turtles, taking on a summer student to help design and implement the field study.
      "The study's aim was to determine whether illumination from the tower flare and pit flare influenced the sea-finding behaviour of green turtle hatchlings," said Ms Pendoley.
      "In designing the study we were conscious of the need for statistical validity. The results showed little difference between the flares, as the glow of light on the sky appeared to be the primary influencing factor. Permission was subsequently granted to decommission the shielded tower flare."
      Over the next four years, Ms Pendoley aims to produce some solid demographic data on turtle species and numbers in the Lowendal, Monte Bello and Barrow Island groups.
      She will also continue her existing research into the effects of flare lighting -- particularly from offshore drilling rigs -- on turtles and hatchlings, and plans to set up a radio and satellite tracking system to follow the turtles' local and migratory paths.
      Ms Pendoley said she hoped her research would prove useful in providing scientifically-based management guidelines to companies involved in operational activities in the North West Shelf region.
      She said this would apply not only to the oil industry, but also to shipping, tourism, coastal developments and local shallow water vessels.

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