Loggerheads found within CBMP most likely originate from the south-west Pacific stock (LH-swPac), which is the only breeding stock for C. caretta in the South Pacific Ocean (Boyle et al., 2009., Wallace et al., 2010). LH-swPac are currently listed as Endangered in NSW, and Critically Endangered by the IUCN, with annual nesting abundance averaging between 101 and 1000 clutches per year, and the total individuals amounting to less than 1% of the global population (Limpus & Reimer, 1994, Limpus & Casale, 2015., SWOT, 2025). This is primarily due to anthropogenic impacts such as bycatch in fishing activities, injury, climate change and habitat loss (Limpus & Reimer, 1994., Limpus & Casale, 2015). 

There has also been an increase of marine turtle nesting events in NSW over recent years. During the 2023-24 nesting season, NSW beaches reported 13 nests with 877 successful marine turtle hatchings, comprising 681 loggerheads and 196 greens and in 2024-25 that number increased to 18 nests, the highest number since reporting began in the early 1900’s (NSW Marine Estate, 2025). 

The Cape Byron Marine Park (CBMP) provides an excellent opportunity to establish a marine turtle monitoring program due to its cultural and ecological importance. Such a program could support management actions through early threat detection, help evaluate recruitment trends within the park’s breeding and foraging zones, and could offer a metric for assessing the effectiveness of local conservation and management efforts. 

Green turtles were designated as a vulnerable species in New South Wales in 2000, as legislated by the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. The sGBR stock averages a nesting count of more than 10,000 clutches per year (SWOT, 2025) and the Queensland Government (2025) considers the sGBR stock to be recovering, showing a steady increase in average nesting abundance. The ongoing recovery of this subpopulation was made possible by effective management decisions and coordinated conservation efforts. Recently, the global green turtle conservation status was elevated from Vulnerable to Least Concern (Wallace & Broderick, 2025), highlighting the success achievable in marine conservation. In CBMP we can predominantly find juvenile and subadults, migrating from the southern Great Barrier Reef.

The Arakwal people of the Bundjalung nation hold a deep cultural connection with sea Country. One of the Arakwal messenger totems, Binguing (green turtle), is especially significant in Arakwal traditions and stories. “Turtle (Binguing) (Chelonia species) is an important messenger that provides knowledge of the sea Country.” (Arakwal, 2026).

Hawksbills in NSW originate from the north Queensland stock (H-nQld), and these turtles nest primarily in northern Australia, with foraging grounds that extend to the GBR, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands (Fitzsimmons and Limpus 2014). The Queensland government (2020) estimated the number of nesting females to be around 4000. According to the Queensland Marine Turtle Conservation Strategy 2021-2031, the stock conditions of H-nQld are severely depleted, with a significant decline in trend.

Anecdotally, Hawksbills are the least abundant marine turtle species found within CBMP. In the Marine Park, we can predominantly find juveniles and subadults. The younger individuals are the smallest turtles we are able to encounter in this area, as the Hawksbill Turtles are the second smallest out of all the sea turtle species globally present. The juveniles reach this area during their migration after birth, and it is not a surprise that they are the least used to humans: smaller and younger individuals have been anecdotically known to flee if snorkellers or divers get close.