- Last updated:
- 24 Jun 2019
At the time the oil spill occurred there were sixteen sea turtle nests between Shelly Beach and Buddina from which hatchlings had not yet emerged. Volunteers from Sunshine Coast TurtleCare, officers from the Sunshine Coast Regional Council, and Queensland's Environment Protection Agency worked together to protect the remaining nests by containing hatchlings to prevent them running across oil contaminated beaches.
Approximately 300 hatchlings from 3 nests emerged in the few days immediately following the spill and they were safely released at the unaffected Teewah Beach where they were able to undertake a relatively normal run to the ocean. Hatchlings from a further three nests in the following days were released at Shelly Beach and Dicky Beach, which were then free of any oil contamination.