Meet Charli, Rocket, Tripod and T-Bone... green sea turtles playing a vital role

Charli, Rocket, Tripod, T-Bone and Little Foot are some of the names of many green sea turtles that call home to the waters surrounding Quicksilver’s Agincourt Reef platform (AG3).

Researcher and part of Quicksilver’s Reef Biosearch team of marine biologists, Heather Platt, has been conducting research into the turtle population here since February and through photo identification has to date identified 29 green sea turtles.

The study into the population is highlighting the AG3 area’s ecological importance (about 17,500sq m) for feeding, residence and transit of the species.  

“All of our documented green turtles are immature, so our AG3 site must be a great place for them to spend their juvenile years," Ms Platt said.

"The first photographic record we have of Charli dates back to October 2023, and as this study continues, it will be interesting to learn how long these residents typically hang around before finally venturing off.”

Turtles have their own unique patterns of facial scales that remain stable throughout life and each individual has been photo identified during in-water surveys while snorkelling.

“Because they lack facial symmetry, video is also taken to ensure accurate identification of left and right sides.

"While some turtles have received nicknames, all individuals are assigned alphanumeric designations, and the sightings are recorded in a database.“

“Our data is being shared with Sea Turtle Observatory research collecting data from all along the Queensland coast, so it's possible that one of our turtles will one day be recognised at one of the many Great Barrier Reef breeding sites.”