Our fatal shore for turtles

An endangered hawksbill turtle.

FORTY dead or dying turtles stranded themselves on beaches between Tweed Heads and Ballina during November-December 2011.

Australian Seabird Rescue's Kathrina Southwell said they were mostly "critically endangered" hawksbill turtles, and the amount was normally representative of a year's strandings. Ms Southwell confirmed National Parks and Wildlife Service Murwillumbah's Lance Tarvey's comments about the problem to the Daily News yesterday.

Mr Tarvey speculated January 2011's floods and Cyclone Yasi may have caused the delayed and tragic consequences.

"All these things affected water quality, and are tied to the death of sea grasses.

"It's a difficult problem to manage if you don't know what's causing it."

Ms Southwell said her organisation had never seen such devastation in its 20 years.

"It would have significantly affected their numbers, and we've never seen so many coming in to care - ever."

She agreed 2011's extreme weather "may have" reduced the hawksbill's major food sources such as sea grass, sponges and crustaceans and led to the staggering losses.

Events over the past few months have taken their toll on the volunteers, many of whom are Tweed-based, Ms Southwell said.

"We've been working very long hours.

"But we've done a few releases in the past few weeks, which is really good for the volunteers to build their morale."

Report nests, turtle and any sea creature strandings to 02 6686 2852 or 02 6670 8603.