In one of the longest breeding migrations the Department of Environment and Science (DES) has documented for an eastern Australian loggerhead turtle, Merlie (pictured) has completed her journey home from Mon Repos in Bundaberg.
Minister for Environment, Leeanne Enoch said Merlie had successfully made it back to her home foraging area in the Gulf of Carpentaria after laying her eggs.
“World Turtle Day is when we celebrate our turtles and what better way than recognising the incredible journey of Merlie, who is back home feeding in her home waters after swimming 2,670 kilometres from her breeding site at Mon Repos,” Ms Enoch said.
“Her lengthy homeward-bound swim took 63 days, averaging 43 kilometres a day without stopping once.”
She said the Department’s Threatened Species biologists did not expect Merlie to return to Mon Repos for the next three seasons, which was in keeping with her breeding patterns.
In 2019, DES held a competition to name the loggerhead turtle and Ms Enoch announced Charlie Lewis as the competition winner, whose gravely ill mother, Merlie, always dreamed of holding a baby turtle.
“Before Charlie’s mother sadly passed away, she was able to fulfil her dream and will now be remembered whenever Merlie the loggerhead turtle and her great achievements are mentioned,” Ms Enoch said.
“Merlie was tagged as a nesting turtle in 1999 giving scientists the ability to monitor and track her movements, and she is the first to be studied at the new $22 million Mon Repos Turtle Centre.”
Since then Merlie the Turtle has laid 19 clutches totalling more than 2,500 eggs in five nesting seasons at Mon Repos, which is home to the most significant loggerhead turtle nesting population in the South Pacific region.
