Percy Island Conservation Group Est.2024
Percy has a longstanding commitment to the environment as a sanctuary for wildlife and a destination where people can be in nature. Conservation is at the heart of the island’s activities, Nature conservation, or conservation ecology, means protecting ecosystems, increasing biodiversity, and utilising natural resources through sustainable management practices.
Middle Percy Island is one of the few places where people can visit and volunteer to help. Maintaining protected areas, restoring habitat loss, and striving to prevent further destruction is the responsibility of the Percy Island Conservation Group, the volunteer caretakers, and all who visit this stunning paradise.
By volunteering, donating, or becoming a member, you can help to preserve the island for future generations.
As one of the few occupied islands in Australia that provides public access for all to explore, learn and volunteer, we ask that you tread lightly with great care. Stick to the tracks where possible, and take rubbish away with you. Leave only footprints in the sand and a memento at the A-frame!
Preserving biodiversity means taking care of the ocean and the island, volunteers play a crucial role in keeping the island open. Help is always needed with tidying up the beach and maintaining walking tracks, mainly stacking palm fronds, sticks and coconuts, and removing rubbish that floats ashore.
Percy Island Bees
The Percy Island bees increase biodiversity by pollinating plants, the process of transferring pollen between plants to fertilise them and produce seeds. Here are some ways that you can help preserve bees and other pollinators such as native bees, hoverflies, wasps, butterflies, beetles, flies, thrips, and moths:
- Protect and restore habitats.
- Plant native nectar-bearing flowers in your garden or balcony.
- Offer a shallow bowl of water, at waist height, with a stick or rock for insects to climb out.
- Buy honey and other hive products from your local beekeeper.
- Raise awareness about the importance of bees, educate children.
- Set up a pollinator farm in your garden or on your balcony.
- Only use pesticides that do not harm bees, spray in windless weather, either early in the morning or late at night when bees return to the hive.
Percy Island Colonial Goats, Introduced in 1874
Home to the wild Colonial Percy Island Heritage Goats, which have
unique DNA, and a predisposition to bear twins. The Percy goats are genetically
one-of-a-kind, this is likely due to geographic isolation or decreased local gene flow. Introduced to the island in 1876, their DNA is unique to other goats making them a rare and celebrated breed.
Turtle Nesting
Nesting season is November through to March, with hatching mostly from January. At Middle Percy Island, turtle nests can be found at West Bay, the island caretakers will secure the area, roping off each nest to protect the eggs during their 45 to 75-day incubation period. We are pleased to share that a nest has been laid on the 18th November, 2024, at West Bay, Percy Island, in front of the Telephone Shed. See image below, there are two nests, one low on the sand dune and one on top, a false nest to deter predators.
Please keep dogs on a leash at all time. Visitors are asked to look but don’t touch the turtle nests, eggs or hatchlings, and always supervise young children, educating them on the importance of not interfering with nature is essential.
Eastern Queensland Flatback Turtles are known to nest at Percy Island and are documented with the Queensland Government. Volunteers can also confirm sightings of Green Sea Turtles from November onwards. Six threatened species of Australian turtles are known to frequent Queensland beaches.
Turtles are protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation
Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) also protects
threatened marine turtle species and grey nurse sharks, whales, porpoises,
dugongs, turtles and dolphins are protected under the Nature Conservation Act
1992 – these are no-take species in Queensland waters.
There is NO Hunting permitted on Percy Island.
In times past, hunting was permitted with the caretakers permission. Today, only the caretakers are permitted to hunt as a means to provide food for the island caretakers living off-grid, and from time to time providing Percy Islands famous goat stew for guests. The population of both kangaroos and goats, both introduced species to Percy Island, currently do not require culling. For the safety of island visitors, hunting is not permitted.
Queensland Government
Protected and no-take species
Grey nurse sharks, whales, porpoises, dugongs, turtles and dolphins are protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 – these are no-take species in Queensland waters.
No-take species
The following species are no take. If accidentally caught, they must be immediately and carefully returned to the water.
Fresh Waters
Australian lungfish
Barramundi – no-take during closed season
Bloomfield River cod
Cling goby
Hardyhead – no take in the Thompson River
Mary River cod – exceptions apply at some stocked impoundments
Murray cod – no take during closed season (exceptions apply)
River blackfish
Redclaw – females carrying eggs or young are no take
Silver perch – no take (in Paroo and Warrego river basins)
Spiny crayfish
Yabby – females carrying eggs or young are no take
Tidal Waters
Australian bass -no take during closed season
Barramundi – no-take during closed season
Balmain bug – egg-bearing Balmain bugs are no take
Barramundi cod
Bivalve molluscs and gastropods (excluding pipis) – no take in Moreton Bay
Black jewfish – becomes no take if total allowable commercial catch is reached
Black teatfish
Blue swimmer crab – females are no take
Chinaman fish
Clams (family Tridacnidae, helmet shells and trumpet shells)
Hammerhead sharks (great hammerhead shark and scalloped hammerhead shark)
Humphead Maori wrasse
Manta ray
Mud crab – (females are no take)
Oysters – you can only take pearl oysters away from a public oyster reserve or unlicensed oyster ground, you must eat all other oysters where you catch them
Paddletail
Pearl perch – no take during closed season
Potato rockcod
Queensland grouper
Red bass
Sand tiger shark
Spanner crab – egg-bearing spanner crabs are no take, and all are no take during closed season
Speartooth shark
Sawfish
Sea cucumber – no take in closed waters
Slipper lobster – egg-bearing slipper lobsters are no take
Snapper – no-take during closed season
Three-spotted crab – egg-bearing three-spot crabs are no take
Tropical rocklobster – egg-bearing tropical rocklobsters and tropical rocklobsters with tar spots (sperm packets) attached are no take, and all are no take during closed season
White shark
White teatfish