Sea-Dog
06-11-2010, 08:41 AM
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.
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.