Last Saturday I took junior out for a fish.
As we were nearing Harry Atkinson's, I spotted a turtle on the surface and he didn't dive when we approached.
As we got alongside I discovered the reason he stayed on the surface was that he couldn't see us approach as his head was missing, along with both front flippers.
Anyway, I thought it was a bit of a hazard - a dead turtle floating in quite a busy area so I jumped on the radio to Coastguard Brisbane to ask for advice.
They said they would contact the Marine Parks Authority and they would come and investigate.
I asked if I should secure the floating turtle to a starboard marker that was about 50 Metres away, so that nobody would hit it.
I was told that nothing is allowed to be tied to a navigation marker. Fair enough.
I gave GPS Co-ordinates and decided to hang around next to the floating turtle to prevent someone damaging their small boat if they hit it.
After about 10 minutes, the big Marine Parks boat appeared, towing a rubber ducky.
I backed away from the turtle to allow Marine Parks to approach.
I said "What are you going to do with it - dump it at the local tip I suppose?"
"Oh, No - we can't take it from the water" was the reply.
I said "But it's a hazard to small boats"
"We'll just have to let it sink back down to the bottom" he said.
They asked if I had a copy of the Marine Parks guide. I held up my copy that I'd been using and their little faces lit up.
They offered another copy which I took from them.
They looked at the floating turtle for a couple of minutes, and then left.
The turtle floated off on its mission to damage a small boat somewhere.
Yet, if I'd pulled the turtle onboard, I could be charged with something I suppose.
I did wonder what a nicely polished turtle shell would look like in my loungeroom though.
Last edited by Sea-Dog; 06-11-2010 at 08:44 AM. Reason: spaling - no, speling, no, spelling - yeah.
Did they say anything about what may have happened to the turtle?
Shark or idiot !!
Looks like 'natural' hazards can't be interfered with!!
I suppose it some poor boaty hit it, it would end up being recorded as death due to boat strike!!
I wonder what would happen if a whale carcass was floating around the bay.
Luc
YOU GO SHARK FISHING!!!Originally Posted by Luc
I intend on living for-ever....so far so good
The Courier Mail would have a big article on Page 3 saying that a fisho hit it in his 12 foot tinny.
TOL
It appears that logic is not one of their strong point but daresay if it holed their boat
it would disappear pronto.
One of the back flippers was missing and had healed over.
I suspect that the front parts became a grey-suits snack.
That is exactly what happens when you give someone with the brain power of a council parking officer a rule book inspired by self preservation, a badge and a big shiny new boat - sorry that was probably too harsh.
But at least they got to say they had responded to another marinelife incident and had something to write a report about. That should help the KPI's so thanks Luc for helping them out.
It is seriously disappointing to constantly see the policies of a group of textbook greenies wasting the opportunity to build goodwill with the community. The outcome could have been different....
" The guys from Marine Parks were awsome, they inspected the turtle and determined that it had not been damaged by a boat before removing it safely out of the channel. They even thanked me for being proactive and getting them involved to help analyzing shipping hazards to marine life..."
I am so glad I can see my tax dollars at work.
PeterG
Im pretty sure they tow the whale carcases into the shallows of mud island to let them rot away.
Please explain!!!
....That should help the KPI's [U
Luc
Sounds like you happened to get Tweedledum and Tweedledee. One with brains could have moved it to somewhere safe to 'sink to the bottom'.
We had a dead whale washed up here on the Goldie and the authorities consulted the local indigenous traditonal land owners who helped bury it with due reverence and ceremony. An indigenous gentleman a little further south said "I do not know where they got the ceremony. When we were so lucky to have whale die on our beach we would call all the other mobs to join inthe feast".
Ray de R
Well they must have changed their policy or it could boil down to who ever is the ranger in charge on the boat at the time.
I know that MPA, formerly known as Queesland Parks and Wildife Service use to bury all dead turtles on a large sand island which is underwater at high tide. there were so many turtles buried on that island , space must have been running out.
One another occassion I assisted a ranger to collect a sea turtle that was reported by a person , this turtle was placed on board the vessel and transferred and dumped on an island and tied with special coloured rope to a mangrove. The turtle could not drift anywhere and in turn provided food for fish and crabs...a few weeks or 2 months later the shell was retreived by rangers.
How do I know this you might be asking?
Simple...I worked as a volunteer marine parks ranger during my uni days.
Cheers, Peter
Key Performance Indicators - used by most big corporations and especially all govt depts often to measure the most uselss information possible or if the info provided is good rarely acted upon
dead whale = very large amount of very, very bad smell!
IMO spot on PeterG re lost opportunities to build goodwill, I'm sure many would like to but perhaps their hands are tied by the mandarins, and those others with an eye on their pensions!
Suprised they couldn't tow it away however................
KPIs also to help senior management make a case for their own re-appointment, come contract review time!
Cheers.
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