Newspaper Article 2009 – Tagged Tarly may save his turtle pals

Tagged Tarly may save his turtle pals

Loggerhead turtles are one of the most endangered and mysterious of sea creatures – yet Havelock North tracking company Sirtrack is out to assist on both fronts.

Thanks to the telemetry experts in the village, a sea turtle dubbed Tarly carries the hopes and dreams of conservationists on its back as it swims through south Pacific waters during the coming year.

The turtle, which originally washed up injured near Dargaville in November 2007, was fitted with a satellite transmitter and released last week off the Northland coast after being nursed back to health at Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World in Auckland.

Sirtrack marketing manager Rowan Calder said one of the company’s core values was to support the protection of the natural environment.

“It made so much sense to get involved on our own doorstep,” he said

However, custom fitting tags for marine animals was a challenge.

“Obviously, the transmitter needs to stay attached to the shell for a start and also it needs to be hydro-dynamic – meaning it doesn’t interfere with the turtle’s natural movements.”

“The satellite transmitter, which weighs about half a kilogram and retails at $3500, transmits only when the turtle surfaces. “The tag shuts off when she dives. It’s a way of extending the life of the transmitter. When Tarly surfaces it flicks back on and sends a signal every 35 seconds.”

Tarly, which featured recently on the Close Up programme, had swum 180km since being released Kelly Tarlton curator Andrew Christie said six of the seven sea turtle species were recognised as endangered or critically endangered.

“The more we know, the more we can help protect them. Because so little is known about sea turtles, the information we gather from this tag will be of interest to the scientific commmunity abroad,” he said.

Readers can track Tarly’s Journey by visiting [www].sirtrack.com and clicking on the map for the Ioggerhead turtle.

Photo caption – ON TRACK: Rowan Calder (left) and Andrew Christie check out Tarly’s satellite transmitter before the loggerhead sea turtle is released.