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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
Anna Falkenmire

'It's devastating': Lake Mac turtles left to die after vessel strikes

Hunter Wildlife Rescue's Tania Rossiter at Speers Point on Wednesday. Inset, a dead swan at Bagnalls Beach, a turtle after a jet ski strike at Fennell Bay in 2022, a jet ski at Lake Macquarie this week. Pictures by Peter Lorimer, Facebook, supplied

THREE sea turtles in three weeks have been found dead at Lake Macquarie as wildlife groups plead with jet skis and boats to be careful on the water.

Tania Rossiter has been rescuing wildlife for decades, but said those discoveries were always devastating.

"One of them was quite mangled from a strike by a watercraft of some kind," she told the Newcastle Herald.

"It's of quite significant concern that that's happened, but one was most definitely some kind of boat or jet ski strike."

Lake Macquarie is a known hotspot for sea turtles and water birds like pelicans and swans, but is also popular for water sports.

Ms Rossiter, a Hunter Wildlife Rescue volunteer, said jet skis were of particular concern because they were quick and quiet underwater.

"The animals that have got to come up for air ... they've got no chance with a jet ski that's going flat out," she said.

While it's been a worry for years, Ms Rossiter told the Herald she'd noticed more were people hitting the water.

"I've lived on Lake Macquarie for the vast majority of my life ... there's a lot more boats in general but certainly there's a lot more in the way of jet skis," she said.

"I've seen quite a lot of radical, unnecessary behaviour.

"I don't want people to not have fun ... the majority of people are responsible but you don't buy a jet ski to cruise around at four knots."

A jet ski rider makes a splash at Lake Macquarie on Wednesday. Picture by Peter Lorimer

Transport for NSW figures reveal there are about 90,000 licenced jet ski riders in the state, an increase of 36 per cent since 2020.

Ms Rossiter recalled a confronting incident in 2022 that had stuck with members of Hunter Wildlife Rescue.

The group's founder and a ranger were on the shore at Fennell Bay watching a "regular" sea turtle feed when three jet skis approached.

She said the first rider called out, but the group didn't slow down, and the last vessel struck the creature, splitting its shell.

The onlookers were luckily able to get to the turtle and she was treated at a wildlife hospital before being returned to the water and tracked for three months.

A turtle was rescued after being hit by a jet ski at Fennell Bay at Lake Macquarie in 2022. Picture supplied
A turtle was rescued after being hit by a jet ski at Fennell Bay at Lake Macquarie in 2022. Picture supplied
A turtle was rescued after being hit by a jet ski at Fennell Bay at Lake Macquarie in 2022, causing its shell to split. Picture supplied
A turtle which sadly died after being struck by a water vessel at Lake Macquarie in recent years. Picture supplied
A large sea turtle with a cracked shell washed up on Bagnalls Beach in 2022, at Port Stephens, thought to have been hit by a water vessel. Picture supplied
Port Stephens rescue group Sea Shelter said this large healthy turtle died in December, and urged people out on the water to be careful. Picture by Sea Shelter
A photo posted to social media shows a dead swan baby which reportedly washed up on Bagnalls Beach, at Port Stephens, after a jet ski was allegedly seen steering into the flock. Picture from Facebook
Hunter Wildlife Rescue's Tania Rossiter at Speers Point, Lake Macquarie, on Wednesday. Picture by Peter Lorimer
A jet ski at Lake Macquarie on Wednesday. Picture by Peter Lorimer
A jet ski at Lake Macquarie on Wednesday. Picture by Peter Lorimer
Black swans at Lake Macquarie on Wednesday. Picture by Peter Lorimer
A jet ski at Lake Macquarie on Wednesday. Picture by Peter Lorimer

"The other problem is people not stopping - not stopping to report it, not stopping to call us," she said.

"You're not going to be in trouble, but the bird or animal is going to die if you don't, if it hasn't already.

"It's a terrible death."

Ms Rossiter would like to see more restrictions for jet skis at Lake Macquarie, including a "fast circuit" area away from most wildlife and the shoreline, and a speed limit in place outside that zone.

She said jet skis should be banned between Dora Creek and Fennell Bay because that's where the sea turtle corridor was.

"It's their home, it's their habitat, it's their food source ... we just go there for some fun," she said.

It comes in the wake of a shocking incident at Port Stephens, where a beachgoer said they watched a jet ski chase a flock of black swans and run some down off Bagnalls Beach on the New Year's long weekend.

A photo posted to social media shows a dead swan baby which reportedly washed up on Bagnalls Beach, at Port Stephens, after a jet ski was allegedly seen steering into the flock. Picture from Facebook

A photo of a dead black baby swan - which reportedly washed up at that same beach afterwards - was posted to social media.

Ms Rossiter, who has also worked as a marine rescuer in that area, said incidents involving cruelty were hard to fathom and should be reported to police.

"What would possess someone to do that?" she said.

Port Stephens has also been packed with jet skis this summer amid a surge in the water sport's popularity.

Local wildlife group Sea Shelter urged caution after "many" boat and jet ski strikes last year.

There are laws restricting how close jet skis and other vessels can get to marine life.

  • Report serious incidents to Crime Stoppers on 1800 000 333 or online on the NSW Police portal; call the police assistance line on 131 444; ring triple zero (000) in an emergency.
  • Report injured animals to local wildlife carers.

Do you know more? Email news@newcastleherald.com.au

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