Giant turtle back home after 1300km swim

After a three-month swim of more than 1300 kilometres up and down the NSW coast, Max, the 110 kilogram, middled-aged, endangered green sea turtle, has returned home.  

Max, the first male turtle to be tagged and released as part of the NSW Marine Parks Authority (MPA) turtle monitoring program, was tracked by MPA staff on an epic swim that started in Port Stephens, went as far south as Batemans Bay and included a stop-off in Sydney Harbour.  

Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park Scientific Officer, David Harasti, said Max was rescued at Mallabula, near Port Stephens, in November last year suffering from a severe case of ‘float syndrome’.  

“Float syndrome is a build up of air in his intestine which, apart from been uncomfortable and causing him to bob around like a cork, can cause fatalities in turtles,” Mr Harasti said. 

“After six weeks at Taronga Wildlife Hospital a long life satellite tag that lasts for 500 days was fitted to his back, and he was released in late December,” Mr Harasti said.  

After his release Max made for the open ocean, spending Christmas near Gosford on the NSW Central Coast , then moving up to spend the breeding season at Diamond Beach - a known site for nesting Green females.  

Mr Harasti said the turtle then swam to Batemans Bay on the NSW Far South Coast, before turning north again and arriving in Sydney Harbour at the end of February.  

“He has since he arrived back in Port Stephens and since his release he has travelled over 1300 kilometres,” Mr Harasti said. 

Max, who is approximately 50, is the first male in the program. Two female green turtles, Crabby and Tracey, were tagged and released in 2011. 

“Every time the turtles surface to breathe, the tags send a signal to overhead satellites which notify us of their location,”
Mr Harasti said.  

“The more we learn about the movements and habitats of turtles in NSW the better solutions we can find to the threats they face in the wild,” he said.  

Green turtles have a life expectancy of 70 to 80 years and are a protected species in NSW.  

To find out more about them or to track Max’s travels live online go to: http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=699   

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