Kate

Arafura and Timor Sea turtle tracking

A project of NAMRA_CDU.

click map for full-size version Dhimurru turtle release from ghost nets

Full-Size Map (58KB)

Species: Olive Ridley
Life Stage: Juvenile
Gender: Unknown
Release Date: 2015-06-03 11:30:00
Release Location: Wanuwuy beach
Last Location: 2015-07-28 19:27:59

Background

Kate is a juvenile Olive ridley turtle. She was found by the Dhimurru rangers in a ghost net that had washed up on a remote beach in NE Arnhemland. Kate was lucky to be alive and was taken to the ranger station for some rest and recuperation. She weighed only 17 kgs, which is almost a third of what she should have weighed for her 53.3 cm Curved Carapce Length. The thick layer of algae on her carapce, her injuries and condition are evidence that she floated around in the net for several weeks before stranding! This morning she was released with a Satellite tag and hopefully she will find her way back to her residential foraging area and fully recover from her ordeal.
Ghost nets are one of the biggest threats to sea turtles in the Arafura and Timor Seas north of Australia.