The Sequeira Lab returns from another successful turtle tagging trip to Gathaagudu (Shark Bay), Western Australia!

Associate Prof Ana Sequeira and Sequeira Lab team members Dr Hannah Calich and Jaiden Lane have just returned from a successful field trip to Gathaagudu (Shark Bay), Western Australia, to satellite tag green and loggerhead turtles! This was our tenth field trip for the Gathaagudu Animal Tracking (GAT) Project and our fifth time tagging turtles in the region. The GAT project has been ongoing since 2021 and aims to understand and document the movement and habitat use patterns of marine turtles, dugongs, and tiger sharks within the UNESCO World Heritage Area of Shark Bay.

This trip was a success mostly due to our collaboration with the Malgana Peoples, the Traditional Owners of Gathaagudu, and the fantastic skills they brought to the project, including those of our main turtle catcher Sage Clarke and of the cultural advisors we had on board this time, Glen Hoult and Gaven Poland. Working together with our friends and colleagues at the Australian National University (Dr Justin Clarke), Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA; Abby Leyendekkers, Jay Hayes, Laetitia Wear-Jones), and the Malgana Aboriginal Corporation (MAC; Cameron Perrett), we captured, tagged, and released 17 marine turtles. We were able to deploy 11 satellite tags in just four days! In addition to tagging, we collected blood and tissue samples that will help advance our understanding of the movement patterns, diet, genetics, and health of marine turtles in this vulnerable ecosystem.

We are deeply grateful to all our contributors and to our philanthropic funders, including the Jock Clough Marine Foundation, for their ongoing support of this project.