Western Australian Loggerheads - Dirk Hartog 2015-2016

Aubrey Strydom

Dataset credit

Data provider
Aubrey Strydom
Originating data center
Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT)
Project partner
Aubrey Strydom
Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife
Marine Science Program
Shark Bay Marine Park



Contacts

RoleNameOrganization 
Primary contact Aubrey Strydom Aubrey Strydom
Data entry Michael Coyne seaturtle.org

Citation

Abstract

Dirk Hartog Island Loggerhead Turtle Tagging:

Dirk Hartog Island, covering 63,000 hectares is Western Australia’s largest island, forming a protective barrier to the shallow waters of Shark Bay. The Loggerhead turtle rookery at Turtle Bay on the north coast of the island is Western Australia’s largest and is of international significance. The Island and Bay are part of the Shark Bay World Heritage Property protected for its significant ongoing geological and biological processes and habitats for a number of threatened species.

To the north lies the Ningaloo Reef, Australia’s largest fringing coral reef, boasting spectacular coral formations, abundant fishes and species with special conservation significance such as turtles, whale sharks, dugongs, whales and dolphins. Ningaloo Marine Park was first gazetted in 1987 to recognise and protect this diverse biological hotspot with amendments made to park boundaries on 30 November 2004 to encompass the whole of the Ningaloo Reef. The Department of Parks and Wildlife is the primary manager of these reserves.

Dirk Hartog Island, Shark Bay, the Muiron islands and the beaches of the Ningaloo coast provide an important habitat and relatively undisturbed nesting area for the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles between November and March each year. Flatback and leatherback turtles have also been recorded foraging occasionally along this coast.

In recognition of these important and diverse reserves, the Ningaloo Reef and surrounding area was bestowed the highest level of international recognition with its inscription on the World Heritage List for its natural beauty and biological diversity in June 2011. The Ningaloo World Heritage Area encompasses 604,500ha in total, including the Muiron Islands Marine Management Area, Ningaloo Marine Park, Cape Range National Park, the Learmonth Air Weapons Range and Bundegi and Jurabi Coastal Parks.

The nesting range of loggerhead turtles in Western Australia extends from Dirk Hartog Island in the south to the Muiron Islands in the north, with important rookeries in between, including Gnaraloo Bay, Cape Farquhar, Janes Bay and Bungelup in the Ningaloo Marine Park.

Satellite tagging at Dirk Hartog Island is part of a broader coordinated program in the 2015/16 season to understand inter-nesting movements, post-nesting migration, identify foraging grounds and potential threats across their entire nesting range in Western Australia with loggerhead turtles also tagged at South Muiron Island and Gnaraloo.

Purpose

N/A

Supplemental information

Visit STAT's project page for additional information.

References

Attributes

Overview

This section explains attributes included in the original dataset. OBIS-SEAMAP restricts the attributes available to the public to date/time, lat/lon and species names/counts only. Should you need other attributes described here, you are encouraged to contact the data provider.

Attributes described below represent those in the original dataset provided by the provider.
Only minimum required attributes are visible and downloadable online. Other attributes may be obtained upon provider's permission.

Attributes in dataset

Attribute (table column)Description
prognumProgram number
tag_idPTT ID
lcLocation class
iqQuality indicator
dir1Dir 1
nb_mesNumber of messages received
big_nb_mesdefinition not provided
best_levelBest signal strength in dB
pass_durationPass duration in seconds
nopcNumber Of Plausibility Checks successful (from 0-4)
calcul_freqCalculated frequency
altitudeAltitude used for location calculation
sensorsSensors
speciesSpecies name
project_idSTAT Project ID
lc_filterParameters to location filtering
speed_filterParameters to speed filtering
distance_filterParameters to distance filtering
topo_filterParameters to topo filtering
time_filterParameters to time filtering
angle_filterParameters to angle filtering
life_stageLife stage of the animal
genderGender of the animal
wetdryWet or dry
wetdry_filterParameters to Wet or dry filterint
obs_datetimeDate and time (local time zone)
timezone_hTime difference from UTC
OBIS-SEAMAP ID1366
Seabirds0
Marine mammals0
Sea turtles8,117
Rays and sharks0
Other species0
Non spatial0
Non species0
Total8,117
Date, Begin2016-01-21
Date, End2016-12-13
Temporal prec.111111
Latitude-26.47 - -18.30
Longitude112.82 - 122.00
Coord. prec.3 decimal digits
PlatformTag
Data typeTelemetry location
TracklinesYES (ID: 1367)
Traveled (km)25,348
Travel hours34,989
Contr. throughSatellite Tracking and Analysis Tool
Registered2016-03-15
Updated2018-11-20
StatusNot published
Sharing policy Permission required
Shared with SWOT
OBIS*
* Aggregated summary
See metadata in static HTML
See metadata in FGDC XML
See download history / statistics