AAP, October 22, 2014,
Researchers
are trying to solve the mystery of what caused the mass strandings and
deaths of green turtles in Queensland's far north two years ago
They are tagging hundreds of turtles along the Great Barrier Reef as part of a project to try and prevent more deaths.
WWF-Australia's
national manager for species Darren Grover says the aim is to work out
which contaminants are in the water, the degree to which green turtles
are absorbing them and how this may impact their health.
"Turtles
are a good barometer of reef health and the contaminants affecting them
are also likely to be impacting other marine creatures," he said.
"Finding
out which chemicals are a problem will help government and industry
target programs to prevent potential toxins from entering the Reef."
Researchers
from WWF-Australian and the Banrock Station Environmental Trust have so
far caught, tagged and measured about 700 turtles along the reef.
Samples
of blood, shell and stomach contents have been taken from many of the
turtles to give scientists a clearer picture of the animal's potential
exposure to chemicals.
It's
hoped the study will to help figure out why about 100 green turtles
stranded at Upstart Bay, south of Townsville, in 2012 .
Some
of the samples taken during the study, of which results won't be
available for about three and half years, will be compared to those
taken from turtles that died in the stranding.
Queensland
Environment Minister Andrew Powell says it shouldn't be assumed
contaminants in the water are to blame for the animals' deaths.
"I think that's answering the question before we've done the research," he told the ABC.
"I stress every study we've done to date hasn't produced a definitive case."
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