Results from a turtle tagging program, part of a five year marine research partnership between CSIRO and BHP Billiton Petroleum, have uncovered the potential existence of a resident green turtle population at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. 

Scientists from BHP Billiton and CSIRO and representatives from the marine park management team were on hand at the 2016 Ningaloo Outlook Symposium in Perth to present the findings of 12 months’ research into Ningaloo’s deep reefs, shallow reefs and turtle and shark populations. 

The five year, jointly funded A$5 million Ningaloo Outlook program enables scientific research to provide baseline data on the condition of the ecological values of the reef and also includes a PhD scholarship component with the latest round of scholarship recipients announced at the event. 

CSIRO Project Lead, Dr Mat Vanderklift, said although the research was in its early stages, satellite data for five tagged turtles suggested there may be a resident population at Ningaloo: something the scientific community was not fully aware of before undertaking this tagging program. 

“In the first year, our scientists tagged 60 animals with three different types of tags, swam 7 kilometres of reef to survey fish and corals, and surveyed 12,000 hectares of deep habitat,” Dr Vanderklift said. 

“We employed the most advanced technology, enabling us to analyse tiny molecules and follow animals via satellites. We welcomed the best and brightest students we could find to our team.

“These are just the first steps in a comprehensive study that will generate unparalleled new understanding of Ningaloo Reef.”

University of Western Australia student, Anna Cresswell, one of the three PhD students awarded a scholarship through the program, said the symposium gave her a true appreciation of the large diversity of expertise within the Ningaloo Outlook Project.

"I am excited about the potential of the project to contribute to our understanding of the Ningaloo Reef area and I am looking forward to applying sophisticated modelling techniques to increase our understanding of the shallow reefs,” Ms Cresswell said. 

“I think the science our team is producing will be of global importance in the future management of reef ecosystems. I am looking forward to going up to the Ningaloo Marine Park in two weeks to be part of the field team to build on our 10-year dataset."

BHP Billiton Petroleum General Manager, Geraldine Slattery said the findings from the Program would help the oil and gas industry to better understand the reef and help target conservation efforts.

“I’m excited and encouraged to see the scientists, support staff and community members involved producing such great results early into the partnership,” Ms Slattery said.

“It’s great to be presented with the work that has been done over the past 12 months and we look forward to seeing the Program continue over coming years.”
 
The Program follows the successful BHP Billiton Petroleum investment in the Ningaloo Atlas Research program, and builds on CSIRO’s extensive decade-long shallow coral reef and fauna research and turtle tracking using satellite and acoustic technology. 

The Ningaloo Outlook Program, to which BHP Billiton will commit A$2.6 million, commenced in early 2015.

The Ningaloo Reef is the largest fringing reef in the world, extending 300 kilometres along the North West coast of Australia.

About BHP Billiton Petroleum

BHP Billiton’s Petroleum Business has operated in Australia for more than 45 years and is one of the largest oil and gas producers in the nation. BHP Billiton Petroleum Australia operates the oil-producing Pyrenees Floating Production Storage and Offloading Facility (FPSO) in the Exmouth sub-basin, and the domestic gas plants of Macedon near Onslow in Western Australia, and Minerva near Timboon in Victoria. BHP Billiton Petroleum Australia is a non-operating Joint Venture partner in the North West Shelf project in Karratha, Western Australia, and the Bass Strait project in Gippsland, Victoria.