3 rd Annual Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

Transcription

1 3 rd Annual Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop Workshop Summary Convened by and the Sea Turtle Foundation Townsville, Queensland July 2013

2 Executive Summary Sea turtle populations are declining worldwide, and turtle strandings in Queensland are increasing. On July, 2013, 127 individuals participated in the third annual Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop in Townsville, Queensland. The purpose of the workshop was to share knowledge about the latest research and current issues in turtle health and rehabilitation and included presentations, discussions, demonstrations, and a field day on the water. Participants represented a wide range of professional and cultural backgrounds and included international delegates. The primary objectives of the workshop were to: learn about the latest in health and rehabilitation research. demonstrate conventionally-accepted methods of field research and data collection. identify gaps and begin building guideline documents and protocols. build relationships between all the varied groups working on the issues. The theme of the workshop was Health and Habitat. A major focus for the presentations and demonstrations was to increase awareness of the intersection between environmental factors and turtle health. Sessions dedicated to indigenous knowledge, habitat, health, and rehabilitation stimulated discussion on a variety of topics including rehab centre intake procedure protocols, spirorchiid infections, marine debris on local and national scales, and the ethical decisions involved in rehabilitation. Key messages from the workshop include: More collaboration is needed between scientists and Traditional Owners, to blend traditional and scientific knowledge. Having a thorough understanding of sea turtle biology and physiology will aid in making the best decisions on triage and treatment of individual animals. There are large gaps in baseline data for both environmental parameters (habitat) and turtle health research. There are multiple, conflicting priorities for conservation on a regional and national scale. Challenges for the future include: coordinating efforts between community groups, Traditional Owners, researchers, government agencies and NGOs. improving education and awareness of conservation and rehabilitation in the general public. acquiring adequate funding to fill the gaps, especially when competing against commercially valuable interests. Actions that can be taken for the future include: development of standard protocols for sampling, antibiotic and drug treatments, and rehabilitation intake procedures. development of stranding and rehabilitation manuals to standardise practice and assist newcomers to the field. creation of a national network or listserver to assist in collaboration between groups and sharing of information to fill gaps. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

3 Introduction All seven species of sea turtles are considered to be endangered worldwide. In Australia, which is home to six of the seven species, sea turtles are considered vulnerable (green, hawksbill, flatback) or endangered (olive ridley, loggerhead, leatherback). In recent years, growing concern over the state of Australia s sea turtle populations have prompted efforts to protect both larger populations and to directly care for sick and injured individual turtles. The Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop was conceived in 2011 after strandings jumped to three times their normal levels in the wake of Cyclone Yasi. The initial workshop provided a forum for those working with strandings to network, discuss standards of care and current issues, and how to better prepare for future crises. Response to the workshop was strong and showed a need for an ongoing forum to discuss issues as they evolve. The 2013 workshop theme, Health and Habitat, positioned the workshop in context with the year s major issues. Habitat concerns have grown with the increase in the industrialisation of the Australian coastline, particularly with port developments and associated infrastructure, and there has been international concern for the health of sea turtle habitat with UNESCO s assessment of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and the possibility of a downgrade to In Danger status. In the wake of continued high stranding rates, more rehabilitation facilities are being created and more organisations are getting involved in turtle health and conservation, highlighting the need to share information and standardise methods of care as much as possible. Changes to this year s conference included extending the event for a third day to allow a full day in the field and more discussion time. This year s workshop also featured a session devoted to sharing traditional knowledge, and concurrent hands-on demonstrations on topics including nesting monitoring, stranding triage, rehabilitation centre intake procedures, and how to set up a basic rehabilitation or holding facility. The workshop was convened and hosted by and the Sea Turtle Foundation, with collaboration from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Queensland s Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. Participants come from a variety of backgrounds, including researchers, agency representatives, indigenous leaders, ranger groups, community group leaders, non-governmental organisation representatives, industry representatives, students, and veterinarians. Sponsors for the event included North Queensland Bulk Ports, World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia, North Queensland Dry Tropics, JCU s TropEco program, and SeaLink. (For a full list of participants and their affiliation, see Appendix A.) The workshop s primary objectives were to: learn about the latest in health and rehabilitation research, including the status of our sea turtle populations and our capacity to respond to crises. demonstrate conventionally-accepted methods of field research and data collection, to standardise techniques being used nationally. identify gaps and begin building guideline documents and protocols for rehabilitation and care of sea turtles admitted to rehabilitation facilities. build relationships between all the varied groups working on the issues. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

4 Welcoming Remarks Yasmin Johnson, representative of the Wulgurukaba people of Magnetic Island Good morning, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of my elders past and present, I would like to welcome you to Wulgurukaba country and acknowledge our neighbors, the Bindal people. Wulgurukaba country includes Hervey s Range, Paluma, and Rollingstone to the north, to Alligator Creek and Magnetic Island to the south. I would also like to extend my thanks to the Sea Turtle Foundation and WWF-Australia for their acknowledgement and their support in our participation. On behalf of the Wulgurukaba people, we sincerely hope that the next couple of days will be both informative and productive and that you return to your communities with continued vigor, support and purpose for the work that you undertake. Thank you. Eddie Smallwood, representative of the Gudjuda people Wadda mooli! Wadda mooli in our language means welcome, so I d like to welcome you all here today, but I also want to acknowledge my Wulgurukaba people; thank you, Yasmin, for doing the welcome too, it s really great to see you again. I think it all boils down to all of us here. We re here for a reason to preserve and protect the turtles. Over the next few days of this workshop, I d like to see a lot of working partnerships, but also when you go from here, make sure you ve got connections with the other organisations here. Today is about sharing of information. Once again, I d like to welcome you all here today. I d like to ask that we have a moment of silence, for our people that have passed on not only just for our Traditional Owners, but for yourselves, because we all come from families whose members have passed on. Thank you and wadda mooli. Ian Wronsky, Pro Vice Chancellor, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Molecular Sciences, JCU My name is Ian Wronsky. I look after Medicine, Health and Molecular Science at JCU. On behalf of the University, welcome. It s always a pleasure not only to host important conferences and workshops, but it s also great to welcome people from around the country. This part of Australia is unique in so many ways. What I d like to welcome you to, and what I ve found so fascinating over the last few years, along with Ellen and her colleagues tenacity at getting something going, is it is really terrific to watch a movement grow. Every year you can see the breadth and the network build as more and more people get on board. The health of turtles and their rehabilitation is a tropical Australia story. It has been a neglected area for so long, and the growth of the movement as more and more people participate is a testament to the work of Ellen and all the partners. It clearly is an issue that has brought together lots of different parts of society large cohorts of people from indigenous groups, universities, NGOs like WWF, CSIRO, and so on. It s great to see so many people from parts of Australia get involved in something that is so fundamentally important in this fantastic part of the world. I know you re going to get a huge amount out of the next three days, especially the networking that will happen and relationships that will evolve over the next several years as these movements build. Welcome again to JCU and we ll see you back in even larger numbers in the future. Thank you. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

5 Keynote Address Colin Limpus, Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection Dr. Limpus spoke on marine turtle health and conservation in Eastern Australia. His talk discussed the importance of distinguishing why sea turtles are dying so that individual turtles can be properly treated and rehabilitated, and so that long-term management of the species can be improved. Key messages included: Rehabilitation workers need to have an understanding of sea turtle biology in order to make sound decisions on treatment. An example was given that due to a turtle s anatomy, a head injury that would be fatal in humans is only a superficial wound for a turtle. Although stranding responders can make educated decisions about a turtle s body condition, skilled veterinary support is vital to understanding why a turtle is stranding. Blood chemistry workups are crucial to identifying which internal systems are affected. Blood fluke infections are a major cause of death in turtles in south Queensland; there are large gaps in the research but there are some treatment options available. Again, veterinary support and pathology tests are crucial to understanding the extent of infection and best treatment paths. Key discussion points raised by audience members included: There is a possibility that turtles that have been injured or sick and released after rehabilitation are less able to fully function in the ecosystem. However, there have been enough cases of turtles with amputations and other injuries recorded years later during nesting and recapture studies that it is worth giving every turtle that chance to return to the population. The more important focus is on preventing strandings and injuries in the first place. Although research and analysis are vital to directing effective management, we have many gaps that still need to be filled. The missing link is the lack of funding and resources made available to biological research. Fisheries and commercial applications receive more funding and receive it more quickly. The capacity to do the research is there, but the funding is often not available and that is slowing the process of filling the gaps in our knowledge. There have only been two studies of blood fluke infection in Queensland, but those studies do not indicate an increase in frequency of infection or point to anthropogenic causes of infection. However, there is still much work to be done in this area. Toxoplasmosis is found in dugong and inshore dolphins, but does not seem to be a problem for turtles in Australia. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

6 Session 1 Indigenous Perspectives Chair--Cliff Cobbo, WWF Speaker 1: Brian Johnson, Wulgurukaba and ranger, Magnetic Island Mr. Johnson spoke about the state of sea turtles on Magnetic Island and in the surrounding waters of Cleveland Bay. There were many stranded turtles after the last cyclone, and a rehab centre has been set up on the island to provide a first response site for strandings. Turtles in the area have been observed eating algae when seagrass was depleted, and mating has also been observed in the area; however, nesting on the island is not being seen any more. Mr. Johnson also discussed the importance of marine parks and knowing the zoning regulations, and of educating people using boats and jetskis of the presence of turtles in the area. Speaker 2: Jim Gaston and Eddie Smallwood, Gudjuda Reference Group Mr. Gaston and Mr. Smallwood discussed an ongoing research project in Bowen to track the incidence of fibropapilloma. The project began in 1999 with four people and now involves cooperation from multiple groups and agencies and often over 60 people per trip; it is an important project because the goal is to collaborate to look after turtles for the future. The Gudjuda people do not take dugong and only allow a minimal turtle take for cultural purposes. Gudjuda has a new indigenous ranger program and also works wih turtle tagging, educational talks in schools, and other conservation activities. A video about efforts to preserve turtles, Saving the Gungu, was screened. Speaker 3: Phil Rist, Girringun Aboriginal Corporation Mr. Rist discussed the conservation activities of the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation, which stretches from Townsville north to Cairns and encompasses nine Traditional Owner groups, including six Saltwater groups. Girringun operates under a TUMRA (Traditional Use of Marine Resource Agreement), under which three of the Saltwater groups are not currently taking any turtle or dugong, and the others manage take through a permitting system that regulates numbers and take areas. The process is driven and enforced by Traditional Owners and the agreement has been sustainable for six years. Girringun s region is part of an Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) that covers 1 million hectares of country, including the marine park. The IPA provides meaningful presence on country and day-today management for Traditional Owners, and supports long-term employment of rangers on country. Girringun is also involved in beach clean-ups, running junior ranger programs, weed management and revegetation, traditional site recording and maintenance, turtle tagging and stranding response, and mahogany glider traps. In the long term, the corporation hopes to increase investment in the shared management of the Girringun region. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

7 Speaker 4: Henry Epong, Mandubarra Aboriginal Land and Sea Corporation Mr. Epong discussed the conservation activities of the Mandubarra Aboriginal Land and Sea Corporation, which covers an area north of Girringun s country. Mandubarra works with turtle and dugong monitoring, and recently began a partnership with Jennie Gilbert and the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre to help respond to strandings. The group now has a permit for rescues, and has rehabbed three turtles in a temporary setup, in collaboration with veterinary services in Cairns. Mandubarra has received funding for its own rehab centre, halfway between Townsville and Cairns, to increase capacity and Traditional Owner participation in turtle rehabilitation. Session 1 Summary Key messages for the session included: Not all aboriginal people eat turtle, and many have changed their diet to protect turtles and dugong. While the focus is often on traditional take, Traditional Owners are keen to look after the environment. There are collaboration opportunities between Traditional Owners, mentoring and working with researchers in the future, and there is a willingness to work together to preserve the country. We need a convergence of science and traditional knowledge; aboriginal knowledge is in oral tradition and story form, but is still very important to science. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

8 Session 2 Habitat Chair--Mark Read, GBRMPA Speaker 1: Mark Read, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Mass strandings of green turtles in Upstart Bay a summary of key findings Mark Read 1, Malcolm Turner 1, Ellen Ariel 2, Jenni Scott 2, Caroline Gaus 3 and Ian Bell 4 1 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority 2 3 University of Queensland 4 Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection Abstract: Between early June and mid-july 2012 a total of 83 green turtles stranded in the area between Cape Upstart and Cape Bowling Green - 73 of these animals stranded dead. The sample size was biased towards adult-sized animals and based on external examination and gross histo-pathology there was no obvious cause of death. Some animals that stranded alive exhibited unusual neurological symptoms, which may be linked to elevated levels of some heavy metals in their tissues. In April 2013 another two green turtles stranded alive and exhibited the neurological symptoms seen in Investigations to better under the causality of this event are still on-going. Dr. Read discussed the 2012 mass stranding of 83 green turtles in Upstart Bay, south of Ayr, with 73 of those turtles dead. Of the carcasses fresh enough to examine, all were apparently healthy prior to death, with no signs of starvation or injury. Some of the live-stranded animals displayed neurological symptoms (head sensitivity, uncontrolled head movements and seizures). Beach and aerial surveys showed the strandings were geographically isolated to that bay. Tissue and environmental samples were sent for analysis, but nothing definitive was determined to be the cause, although slightly elevated levels of some heavy metals were detected. Speaker 2: Ian Bell, Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection An update on the Northern Great Barrier Reef breeding population Abstract: The northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and Torres Strait region are historically renowned as supporting the largest green turtle nesting population in the world with an estimated average of about 50,000 females breeding annually. However recent research by the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, University of Canberra and indicates that this population is now likely to be in serious, possibly irreversible decline. Evidence of this decline includes: Multiple seasons of low nesting success on Raine Island and Moulter Cay, even though large numbers of females arrive to nest. A failure of hatchling production, due to nest flooding or other unknown factors on Raine Island and Moulter Cay. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

9 A marked shift in the genetic diversity within ngbr foraging grounds from a predominantly northern to southern GBR genetic stock of juvenile turtles, due to nesting beach failures. An increase in average re-migration intervals from ~3.5 to ~5.5 years for breeding females due to excessive take of large mature female turtles biasing the population to inexperience breeders. A continuing reduction in the average nesting turtle size, which is likely to be result of targeting large female turtles while hunting. The past decade failure of Raine Island and Moulter Cay as a nesting site, combined with hunting pressure on adult female turtles, lead researchers to believe that the ngbr green turtle genetic stock is destined for a major population decline. This decline is expected to be exacerbated by the impacts associated with climate change including sea level rise and increased incubation temperatures over the next century. Dr. Bell discussed the issues surrounding decreased nesting and hatching success on Raine Island, including decreased average CCL in adult females, an increase in average re-migration intervals, low nesting success rates of around 40%, and of those nesting, a hatching success only averaging 40%. Nesting site failure at Raine Island is resulting in a population decline for the ngbr genetic subpopulation; work is ongoing to discover the causes of low hatching success, improve nesting conditions so that more turtles can successfully lay eggs, and decrease loss of adult breeding females on the island via fencing along the cliff face. Speaker 3: Leigh Gray, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Gladstone Harbour separating myth from reality Abstract: Much has been made of the fish health and turtle stranding issues in Gladstone Harbour, but what do we really know? The media has portrayed dredging as being the villain, but is this really the case? What does the available scientific data really say? A conceptual model has been developed for Gladstone Harbour. The conceptual model will be presented and utilised as a tool to test a range of hypotheses on the potential causes for the fish health and turtle stranding issues observed in Gladstone Harbour. Mr. Gray presented the latest information available on the fish health and marine mammal stranding events in Gladstone Harbour in the last year. He detailed the types of sediment sampling that were completed, and showed that contaminant levels were within guidelines. Acid sulphate soils were only found in a small number of the samples (median 9%). Water quality testing did not show large drops in ph, supporting the finding that acid sulphate soils were not a major problem. The data available does not support the hypothesis that dredging is the cause of the fish and turtle mortality. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

10 Speaker 4: Guan Oon, ARGOS The Argos satellite telemetry (global) system for wildlife tracking and data collection Abstract: Collecte Localisation Satellites (CLS) is a French company based in Toulouse that manages and operates the Argos global data collection and location system. The Argos system started in 1978 under a joint agreement between the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the French Space Agency (Centre National d EtudesSpatiales (CNES)) where this agreement has been extended to the European Organization of the Exploitation of Meterological Satellites (EUMET- SAT) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) where operationally, this translates to NOAA, Metop and Saral satellites being able to receive transmissions from Argos platform transmitter terminals (ptts) and also to transmit user commands to Argos platform transceiver terminals. The historical and core Argos applications are in the fields of meteorology, oceanography, biologywildlife tracking or any application where monitoring of the environment via satellites is required where all users are either from government-scientific and/or research organisations. In addition to Argos, CLS operations and services extends to space based oceanography, maritime security, oil spill detection, tracking of commercial fishing vessels and turnkey solutions for Maritime and Fisheries Authorities. In terms of biology-wildlife tracking, in Australia and New Zealand; there are approximately 100 Argos programs with approximately 2,000 registered ptts where this is managed by CLS Australia/Satellite Information Technology Pty Ltd in Melbourne. Out of the 100 programs, we have 18 for turtle tracking (species behaviour and protection) with a total of 260 ptts from 4 certified Argos ptt manufacturers. The technological evolution in the last decade has seen smaller ptts, increased positioning accuracy (Doppler and GPS), increase in the volume of transmitted sensor data such as (dive count-depth-temperature-pressure-salinity) together with reduced latency; whereas from a financial perspective, daily transmission rates (in Euro currency) have been constant over the last 3 years and taking into consideration the currency exchange rate over 5 years, the effective monthly Argos rates have in fact decreased by approximately 35%. Mr. Oon discussed how the Argos system is organised, including satellites, tariffs, and uses (research, scientific, or education only), the variety of applications of the system, and the types of tracker options that are available for sea turtles, as well as the types of data the trackers can record. Case studies of tracked animals were also presented, to showcase the projects that are possible with satellite tracking. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

11 Speaker 5: Martha Brians, School of Marine and Tropical Biology, Diet of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Townsville region of the central Great Barrier Reef following seagrass decline Abstract: Seagrass beds are an important habitat to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), serving as nursery grounds for many animals and a primary food source for megaherbivores, including the endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). These fragile habitats are sensitive to stochastic disturbances, including regular wet seasons and irregular cyclones, both of which commonly cloud the water, resulting in the suppression of seagrass. Over the past 3 years, up to 95% of the seagrass present in the central GBR has been lost, following a series of severe flooding events. Seagrass loss could affect the diet of important megaherbivores, such as juvenile turtles, by causing a shift from feeding largely on seagrass to a diet primarily comprised of algae; the effects of which are unknown. This study investigated sea turtle food availability following seagrass decline at three distinct turtle feeding sites to quantify the relative composition of seagrass and algae in turtle diets, and assess the relationships between food availability, diet, and body condition. Juvenile turtles in the central GBR were found to be underweight for their carapace length, even 18 months after the most severe seagrass decline. While there has been some seagrass recovery, these turtles are persisting on a diet comprised almost exclusively of algae. Seven algae genera were commonly consumed by the turtles, with large proportions of the diet comprised of Chlorodesmis, Codium, Gracilaria, and Laurencia. Overall, algae can play an important role in the diet of green sea turtles in the absence of seagrass, and may aid in turtle survival through times of low seagrass availability. Ms. Brians outlined her research on changes in the diet of green sea turtles after Cyclone Yasi. There has been a coastal decline in seagrass in this region since 2009, and flooding from severe weather events has resulted in a 95% decline in seagrass cover. Juvenile green turtles in the region appear to have switched to a diet composed primarily of algae, even in areas where seagrass has begun to recover. Juvenile turtles subsisting on an algal diet appear to be generally underweight. Session 2 Summary Key messages included: Addressing habitat issues really means addressing legacy issues of past decisions (land use, development, etc). There are large gaps in baseline data (environmental parameters and biological data on turtles) that make it difficult to pinpoint causes of particular problems more solid data is needed. There needs to be a sampling protocol in place to facilitate rapid response to strandings or other events so that the necessary data can be collected and analysed. Key discussion points raised by audience members included: The Upstart Bay stranding samples were tested for brevitoxins, but came back negative, so algal blooms were ruled out as a main cause of death. Most animals were too decomposed to get sam- Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

12 ples for histology, and the few necropsies done showed nothing consistent that could be pointed to as a cause. A size range of turtles was present but not all sizes were stranding, and there were no reports of other taxa (no fish kills or dugong mortality). Drift pattern studies showed most drift is wind-driven, as opposed to tidal flows, so it seems unlikely the turtles were collecting in the bay and washing up from other locations. Other possible causes raised and discarded included noise from ADF activities and commercial fishing activities. Some possible causes of hatchling mortality on Raine Island could include soil pathogens or heavy metal bioaccumulation. Turtles from the Torres Strait have been found to have high levels of heavy metals, and pesticides and heavy metals have been found to decrease reproduction. It is possible that turtles may not be nesting even if they look healthy due to heavy metals; this has been an issue in whale reproduction. If the cause is heavy metal bioaccumulation, the breeding migration could be exacerbating the problem by releasing heavy metals as fat stores are used up. In a similar case with low success of leatherback hatchlings in St. Croix, adult turtles were found to have high levels of mercury, selenium and cadmium levels. Poor nesting success due to overcrowding on the beach is recorded in the historical data, but does not explain the embryo death being seen now. It is unknown if turtles have a preference for algae to seagrass; it is difficult to say what diet they prefer because there is no baseline data from before the cyclone. The animals studied were all juvenile due to experimental limitations, so diet preference among adult turtles may be different. Possible reasons for fish and turtle mortality in Gladstone Harbour, if the cause is not the dredging and harbour development, could include an influx of diseased fish from dam overflows during the time period in question. The turtle stranding database recorded an increase in turtle mortalities in March, while dredging escalated in May. Turtle mortalities decreased when net fishing was banned. Historical sediment samples show no change in contaminant levels since the 1990s. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

13 Session 3 -- Rehabilitation Chair--Rochelle Ferris, Australian Seabird Rescue Speaker 1: Rebecca Gillions, Australia Zoo The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital Turtle Facility and the Diagnostic Approach to the Treatment of Floater Syndrome Abstract: The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital has been open since 2004 and treats approximately 8,000 animals every year. Over the past 18 months (January 2012 June 2013) the hospital has treated a multitude of animals, with 140 of those being marine turtles. The most prevalent turtle seen at the hospital is the green sea turtle, with other turtle species being the hawksbill, flatback and loggerhead turtles. There are a number of reasons as to why turtles are presented to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. The most common reason is floatation, which accounted for 72.9% of the turtle cases that were presented from January 2012 to June The success rate for the release of turtles over the past 18 months is 37% (38/140). This is an increase from the previous year, which in 2011 was 22%. When a turtle is presented to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, it undergoes an initial veterinary examination. This involves a clinical examination, blood collection and radiographs. The clinical examination helps to identify any visual abnormalities. Blood collection involves haematology and biochemistry and helps to identify problems such as anaemia as well as bacterial and parasitic infections. Radiographs are used to identify any internal blockages. Other diagnostic tests include ultrasound, endoscopy, CT scan and barium studies. The diagnostic work-up is adjusted accordingly to each case and is dependent on the presenting injuries. Floater syndrome is the most commonly seen condition in turtles at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Flotation is caused through accumulation of gas in the gastrointestinal system, which leads to buoyancy of the turtle. Gas accumulation can be due to a number of reasons, which include ingestion of a foreign object such as fishing line or plastic, or a bacterial or parasitic infection. Turtles suffering from floater syndrome are admitted to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital and are placed on a course of antiparasitic, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication. Depending on the case, other medications may be added in the medical treatment of the floater turtle. These include intravenous or subcutaneous fluids, iron supplements and opioids. In severe cases, surgical intervention may be required to relieve an obstruction that is unresponsive to medical treatment. Ms. Gillions discussed the types of turtle health issues that are commonly seen in Australia Zoo s turtle rehab centre, with 73% of turtles diagnosed with floater syndrome. Newly admitted turtles are first put in an ICU tank to reduce contamination and allow diagnosis of illness or injuries, and later are moved to a Rehab tank that allows freer movement. Ms. Gillions outlined the treatment protocol for floater turtles, including antiparasitic, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory medications, and may add fluids or pain medication as necessary. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

14 Speaker 2: Mark Smith, UnderWater World Sea Life Turtle Rehabilitation Program at UnderWater World Sea Life Mooloolaba Emily Thomas, Kate Wilson, Mark Smith Abstract: UnderWater World has been operating a turtle rescue and rehabilitation program since Since that time 829 turtles have been rescued and 270 have been rehabilitated and released. Five species of sea turtle have been rescued, including the green, Chelonia mydas (n = 511), loggerhead, Caretta caretta (n = 156), hawksbill, Eretmochelys imbricata (n = 143), flatback, Natator depressus (n = 9), and olive ridley, Lepidochelys olivacea (n = 6), as well as four hybrid turtles. Stranded turtles most frequently occurred in the month of June (n = 104), followed by November (n = 87) and October (n = 85). More than half (52%) of the stranded turtles exhibited the floating syndrome and more than half (53%) of the turtles had a CCL between 35 cm and 50 cm, with an observed range for all stranded turtles between 5 cm and 120 cm. Improvements to the pre-rescue triage process and the post-rescue husbandry program have promoted an improved rehabilitation success rate. In May of 2013 UnderWater World initiated a satellite-tagging program to learn more about the post-release activity of specific candidate animals. Mr. Smith gave a summary of the results of UnderWater World s turtle rehab since The centre has treated 837 turtles in that period, with 280 released and 13 currently in care. Data shows an average spike in strandings in June, although the cause of that is unknown. The vast majority of turtles were treated for floating syndrome and the majority of the turtles treated have been juveniles. Rehab success rates have risen over the period studied due to improvements in both triage and husbandry. Speaker 3: Mark Hamann,, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences Effect of sea turtle rehabilitation centres in Queensland, Australia, on people s perceptions of conservation Alex Feck and Mark Hamann Abstract: Sea turtles are found worldwide, with all 7 species considered species of conservation concern. The public has seen sea turtle rehabilitation centres as an important tool for conserving sea turtle populations. However, educating the public regarding threats to sea turtles and how they can minimise these threats by making a change in their own lives may be more beneficial than rehabilitation alone, in terms of the ability to restore turtle numbers. In order to determine the educational role of rehabilitation centres, 245 surveys were distributed at several Australian-based rehabilitation centres. The survey was in 2 parts. The first part collected information about visitor s knowledge of threats, their willingness to pay for conservation, and socio-economic information. The second part determined what threats visitors had learned about, whether visitors would make a change to help support sea turtle conservation, and whether they would be willing to pay more for conservation following their visit. Overall, results showed that all visitors to the sea turtle rehabilitation centres were willing to make a change in their lives to help protect sea turtles. Additionally, the majority of visitors were will- Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

15 ing to donate annually to sea turtle conservation. The extra revenue raised could be used for conservation purposes and further research to address the threats sea turtles face. Combining the opportunity for visitors to observe sea turtles up close and learn about threats and how they can be minimised at rehabilitation centres will assist in increasing population sizes and protecting them into the future. Dr. Hamann presented the results of a study into the changes of people s perceptions of conservation by visits to turtle rehabilitation centres. Rehabilitation of individual turtles is not likely to reverse trends of population decline directly, but the study showed that education and interaction with turtles was influential in increasing people s knowledge about turtles and threats, changing people s attitudes about conservation, and that they were willing to change their behaviours to minimise threats to turtles. Speaker 4: Jo Petersen and Alison Bee, MINT Magnetic Island Network for Turtles (MINT) - Our community taking action for sea turtle conservation Jo Petersen, Ali Bee, Laura Dunstan Abstract: Following successive years of flooding and Cyclone Yasi, numbers of stranded marine animals increased by 400% in the Cleveland Bay area in North Queensland. When dead and dying sea turtles started washing up in distressing numbers on Magnetic Island during 2011 a small group of locals decided to take action and MINT came into existence. At the time, rehabilitation facilities were all full and our purpose was to rescue and rehabilitate as many sick turtles as possible, working closely with Reef HQ, JCU Vet School and Cairns Turtle Hospital. 3 years later MINT has its own low key Turtle Clinic on Magnetic Island thanks to support, sponsorship and hard work by the local community, businesses and the Townsville City Council. Through engagement, communication and training MINT is increasing the capacity for the local community to respond to turtle strandings, care for sick turtles and make positive changes for turtle conservation from the bottom up. Ms. Petersen and Dr. Ali Bee talked about their experience setting up a community-based, volunteerrun turtle rehabilitation site on Magnetic Island. The impetus came from the 2011 stranding event, when the community wanted to help with the overwhelming number of sick and starving turtles. Magnetic Island Network for Turtles was formed, and the original site was a makeshift tank at Dr. Bee s vet clinic. Working with the local Council and business partners, MINT was able to secure a more permanent site and the equipment and manpower to put together a small turtle clinic, which is now housing stranded turtles until they can be transferred to a larger rehab centre. The MINT site has increased the local capacity to respond to strandings and improved the perception of the role of the community in conservation. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

16 Speaker 5: Rochelle Ferris, Australian Seabird Rescue Sea turtles and habitat in the Tweed-Moreton bioregion, NSW Abstract: In early 2013 Rochelle completed her analysis of hawksbill turtle stranding events in NSW between 1998 and The results led to questions about the health of marine turtle habitat in the Tweed- Moreton Bioregion. Rochelle plans to satellite-track 15 turtles and is currently refitting a research catamaran Tracker One-One to further investigate habitat in the coastal waters off north-eastern NSW. Ms. Ferris gave an overview of the strandings of hawksbill turtles in the Tweed-Moreton bioregion, which covers the most easterly point in Australia, including Byron Bay and Coffs Harbour, and two marine parks. Currents in the area tend to wash stranded turtles into the northern area, so ASR s clinic receives 80% of NSW s stranded turtles. In 2011, strandings spiked in the area in spring and summer, including 75 hawksbill turtles that were admitted to ASR s turtle clinic. Ms. Ferris is now working on building baseline data on the bioregion s habitat and how it used by turtles, through satellite tracking of hawksbill turtles and in-water surveys. Speaker 6: Ellen Ariel, School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Rehabilitation or euthanasia? Laura Chapman, Kate Lancaster, Alexandr Mastakov, Wade Smorfitt, Kati Kotirana-Harris, Lachlan Strohfeldt, Sarah Townsend, Christina Johnson & Ellen Ariel Abstract: Currently there are discussions related to the risk of releasing rehabilitated animals back to the wild. One side argues that the risk of transfer of disease from rehabilitated animals to wild animals is too great. No animals should therefore be released from rehabilitation or a research facility, but euthanised in order to protect the wild populations, by the sacrifice of an individual. The counter argument states that with proper quarantine and release measures for animals kept at rehabilitation or research facilities, the risk can be managed and even individual animals can be reintroduced into the wild population. Dr. Ariel discussed a practical and often emotional dilemma that rehabilitation and turtle health specialists often face whether to rehabilitate or euthanise an animal. There are two sides to the argument. On one hand, any wild animals brought into a rehab centre should be euthanised and not released because the risk of spreading infection from captive animals to the local ecosystem and turtle population is too great. On the other hand, animals should be rehabilitated because the benefit to species conservation and research is worth the risk that the knowledge gained and benefits of public education are too valuable to ignore. Generally, we come down on the side of rehabilitation, but must be mindful of the risks of infection and the welfare of an animal before it is released into the local population. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

17 Session 3 Summary Key messages included: Rehabilitation centres are facing a variety of health issues in turtles around the country and are developing plans to deal with them, often independently it is important to develop a collective strategy to address these issues. Rehabilitation is valuable not just for saving individual animals, but for public education and changing behaviours that can reduce threats to turtle populations. Rehabilitators must be mindful of the ethics of releasing sick or injured turtles back into local wild populations, and make difficult decisions with the best interests of the larger population in mind. Key discussion points raised by audience members included: There are currently no guidelines for antibiotic use in sea turtles; some use a blood smear to look for infection before administering antibiotics, while others use a preventative course of antibiotics as part of routine intake procedures. There is no set of criteria or decision tree for prognosis; if one could be developed, it would help rehab centres decide which animals would have the best chance of recovery and direct limited resources to those animals. Such a decision tree would be difficult to create for turtles, as there are no indicators of survival such as body condition, size cohorts, etc that are consistent enough to be used as a standard. In addition to assessing a turtle s condition, conservation value must also be considered, as juveniles may have a better chance at recovery, but adult females are more valuable to the breeding population. Incidences of strandings that can be directly related to industrial development are rare; oiled turtles are the only example encountered by rehab centres represented at the workshop. Success rates for rehabilitation are often low and can be interpreted by the media as a waste of resources. However, even one success story can generate positive media and goodwill in the community. Is rehabilitating turtles that would otherwise not survive interfering with natural selection? The consensus is that turtles in rehab centres generally are stranding due to human impacts on the environment, but it is not always easy to directly correlate an individual animal s health issues with human impacts. Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

18 Session 4 -- Health Chair--David Blyde, Sea World Speaker 1: Donna Rudd, Impact of sample storage time and temperature on the biochemical and haematological parameters of the green sea turtle in north Queensland Corinna Fullarton, Donna Rudd, Jeffrey Warner and Ellen Ariel Abstract: Blood biochemistry and haematology profiles are often used to assess the physiologic status of marine turtles. However, there is a general lack of controlled studies designed to clarify the meaning of changes in the profiles for these animals compared with those of domestic mammals (Arthur et al., 2008). Blood haematological and chemistry profiles have been shown to vary with both internal and external factors, such as species, gender, season, food availability, environmental conditions, disease and activity levels of the turtles. As a consequence of this, current published reference intervals are generally used with caution and only as a broad guide for the interpretation of blood biochemical results. However, another often overlooked but yet important source of variation comes from the methods of sample collection, storage, handling, and analysis of these specimens. The current study is aimed at determining the impact of storage time and temperature on biochemical and haematological parameters in the green sea turtles of north Queensland and to provide a guide for the standardisation of collection and storage procedures in the future. Understanding the impact of these factors would improve not only the interpretation of these profiles but also provide a standardised method for controlling pre-analytical factors during future studies aimed at establishing reference intervals. Dr. Rudd presented findings of a study to determine if storage time and temperature of blood samples gathered in the field affects the accuracy of subsequent blood parameter analysis. Existing biochemistry reference ranges were collated; certain proteins, potassium, and enzymes had unusual ranges that suggested impacts of pre-analytical variation, and prompted the interest in setting a standard for sample collection and understanding those pre-analytical impacts. Recommendations for sample collection include storing samples on ice, refrigeration for up to 24 hours before analysis, storing centrifuged and separated plasma at -20C for up to one month, and using caution when interpreting results, being mindful of the influences of storage time and temperature on samples. Speaker 2: Annie Page-Karjian, University of Georgia Factors affecting survivability in rehabilitating sea tutles with fibropapillomatosis Abstract: Marine turtle fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a debilitating, infectious neoplastic disease that has reached epizootic proportions in several tropical and subtropical populations of green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Fibropapillomatosis represents an important health concern in sea turtle rehabilitation facilities. The objectives of this study were to 1) describe the observed epidemiology, biology, and survival rates of turtles affected by FP (FP+ turtles) in comparison to other turtles in a rehabilitation environment; 2) evaluate clinical parameters as predictors of survival in affected turtles in this environment; and 3) Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

19 provide information about case progression scenarios and potential outcomes for clinicians managing FP+ sea turtle patients. A retrospective case-control study was performed using the medical records of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC), Jekyll Island, GA U.S.A. Information evaluated included signalment, morphometrics, presenting complaint, time to FP onset, tumor score (0-3), co-morbid conditions, diagnostic test results, therapeutic interventions, and case outcomes. Turtles with FP had significantly higher odds of floating at presentation (odds ratio=9.33, P=0.002) and during the course of rehabilitation (odds ratio=7.67, P=0.018) than turtles without FP. Turtles with FP but no ocular involvement had more than 8 times higher odds of survival than those with ocular lesions (odds ratio=8.75, P=0.032). Of the clinical pathology parameters, albumin was significantly higher in FP+ turtles, while A/G and AST were lower. Laser-mediated tumor removal surgery is the treatment of choice for FP+ patients at the GSTC; number of surgeries was not significantly related to case outcome. Turtles with FP were 9 times more likely to die in rehabilitation than turtles without FP (odds ratio=9.33, P=0.049). The results of this study provide a summary of many aspects of FP+ cases in rehabilitation, suggest important parameters to evaluate in prospective FP+ cases, and provide useful predictors for possible case outcomes (i.e, tumor score, presence of ocular FP). Dr. Page-Karjian gave an overview of fibropapilloma and the types of tumours and effects it can have on turtles. The aim of the study was to identify factors of survivorship of turtles with FP in rehabilitation and examined the occurrence, clinical progression and outcome of the disease in turtles in care. Using records from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, a tumour scoring system was developed. Results show that internal and ocular tumours and anemia were negative prognostic indicators, while plaques and tumours on the skin or shell only were positive prognostic indicators. Speaker 3: David Blyde, Sea World Case studies of turtle injuries at Sea World Dr. Blyde presented case studies of turtles treated at Sea World for trauma, including boat strikes, fishing and crab pot line ingestion, and fish hook ingestion or entanglement. Fishing hooks in the anterior gastrointestinal tract are more easily removed than those deep in the stomach and surgery is possible, but success rates are low. Head injuries from boat strikes should be x-rayed to determine if the neurocranium is affected before euthanasia is considered. Fishing line ingestion is becoming a more frequent occurrence in turtles and cetaceans in Moreton Bay. Speaker 4: Amy Foulkes, Blood flukes infecting green turtles (Chelonia mydas): matching adults with eggs using a combined morphology and molecular approach Amy Foulkes and Kate S Hutson Marine Parasitology Laboratory, Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture and the School of Marine and Tropical Biology, Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop

20 Abstract: Spirorchiid parasites or blood flukes are a significant contributor to disease in marine turtles. Adult parasites infect the circulatory and lymphatic systems with their eggs forming granulomas throughout the body, clustering in high quantities within the salt glands and the intestine. Symptoms can range from fatigue and anaemia to mortality. Identification of spirorchiids is fundamental to understand potential species specific pathology and to enable effective treatment and rehabilitation. However, identification of spirorchiids is challenging due to concurrent species infections, considerable taxonomic confusion and similarity in egg morphology. This study investigated the taxonomy of spirorchiids found in green turtles, Chelonia mydas, using a combined morphological and molecular approach. Two adult species (Learedius learedi and Hapalotrema postorchis) and two egg types (fusiform and oval) were morphologically identified. Sequences of representative adults and eggs were aligned with pre-existing sequences of marine Spirorchiidae and analysed for phylogenetic signal in ITS2 regions. Learedius learedi sequences did not match those previously documented for adult specimens obtained from C. mydas in Florida. Fusiform eggs were observed in utero in preserved specimens of L. learedi, although no sequence match was made. Two distinct sequences were obtained for fusiform eggs, which closely aligned to adult H. postorchis and Hapalotrema pambanensis, respectively. Two distinct sequences were obtained for oval eggs which did not match adult sequences, indicating that spirorchiid species diversity in C. mydas may be greater than that represented by recovered adult specimens. This research identified spirorchiid genera that lay fusiform eggs and provides baseline sequence information that is valuable for development of diagnostic testing and elucidating parasite life cycles. Ms. Foulkes presented her research on the taxonomy of spirorchiids that infect green turtles in north Queensland. Existing studies on spirorchiid taxonomy is sparse and incomplete, with a paucity of molecular data. Two adult species and two egg types were identified and DNA sequences were compared to existing spirorchiid DNA analysis. DNA sequences for oval eggs did not match the adult sequences, which suggests there are more species than previously recorded in green turtles. More research is needed to identify all species so that diagnostic testing can be developed. Speaker 5: Jenni Scott, Severity of spirorchid fluke infection (Digenea: Spirorchiidae) in healthy and compromised green turtles (Chelonia mydas) from Indonesia and Australia. Louise G. Albrechtsen 1, Anja Ziegler 2, Jennifer Scott 3, Kate Hutson 4, Linda Johnson 3, Elizabeth Parker 3 & Ellen Ariel 3 1 School of Veterinary Sciences, Copenhagen University, Denmark 2 School of Veterinary Sciences, Zurich University, Switzerland 3 School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences,, Queensland, Australia 4 School of Marine and Tropical Biology,, Queensland, Australia Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation Workshop