Port Hedland Turtle Loop

Turtle Monitoring in Port Hedland

The community-based turtle monitoring program was established in 2004 to provide a much needed role for the awareness and conservation of the local threatened flatback sea turtle species: Natator depressus.

The presence of flatback turtles in Hedland gives a unique opportunity for the community and visitors to the area to be actively involved in contributing to the monitoring of the protected species.

Flatback sea turtles nest only on Australian beaches and have the shortest migratory range of all sea turtles. There is currently limited population data available on the species highlighting the importance of the Care for Hedland monitoring program. This program is a part of a wider turtle monitoring project encompassing nesting rookeries from Shark Bay in the south, up to the Kimberly.

The Hedland turtle monitoring program operates from October to March each year in correlation with the annual flatback migration to the coastline for the nesting and hatchling seasons (Nesting season: October – January. Hatchling season: December – March).