Tourists visiting Western Australia’s Pilbara are being told to give mating turtles plenty of space.
The Department of Environment says September is mating season for turtles and it is important they are not disturbed to ensure they breed in their natural surroundings.
Marine turtles travel long distances to breed, with some swimming more than 2,600 kilometres to find their perfect match.
Marine Conservation officer Marissa Speirs is urging boaters to take care and slow down to less than eight knots in shallow waters.
“I do understand that people are very interested,” she said.
“If you maintain a distance, if you’ve got binoculars that’s ideal, you can watch them from a distance and you know with a zoom lense you can see quite a lot through a camera as well.
“We do ask that people do try and avoid them because if they are continually disturbed they may break pairs and not breed at all.”
Source: ABC News
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