Aussie Turtle Expert Joins Azamara WWF

Azamara Club Cruises has announced a leading Aussie conservation expert will join the upcoming Azamara Quest cruise to educate guests on what they can to help protect marine turtles including the endangered hawksbill turtle.

Christine Hof, renowned marine biologist and WWF Marine Species Project Manager, joins the 14-night Australia and Indonesia voyage departing Cairns on 8 March as part of the line’s WWF Guest Speaker Series.

During the cruise, Christine will enrich guests’ onboard experiences with two important presentations, as well as accompany guests on selected shore excursions, where they can gain further insight from this celebrated marine expert. Topics include:

Where have all the turtles gone?

Guests will discover the types of turtles that swim in the waters around north east Australia and their conservation status, including the hawksbill turtle. Chris will take you on a journey into the life of these amazing mariners of the sea, including the different life cycle stages, the threats facing them and what WWF is doing to protect these beautiful creatures.

Turtles or trinkets?

Learn all about the illegal use and trade of hawksbill turtles across Asia Pacific, the status of these turtle populations, their protection and how a re-emerging market is being driven. Discover how WWF’s partnership with Azamara and RCL Cruises in Australia is helping to combat the illegal trade of hawksbill turtles for their shells and recover the population.

“As a marine scientist, I’m motivated to conserve and protect the greatest natural resource on Earth – our marine environment. Marine turtles represent the connectivity between land and sea, people and food, and our oceans health. What I do is not a job; it’s my passion – I want to take you on the turtle journey” says Christine Hof.

RCL Cruises and WWF announced their partnership to protect the hawksbill turtle in October 2018, stepping up efforts to help combat the illegal trade of hawksbill turtles in Asia-Pacific & Australian waters – the number one threat to the critically endangered turtle.

For the first time in the region, WWF-Australia is working with partners to test ground-breaking technology to extract DNA from tortoiseshell products, such as earrings, bracelets and other trinkets. The collaboration will help develop a DNA database to help identify hawksbill populations most at risk from the illegal tortoiseshell trade by tracing hawksbills products from their point-of-sale to where they were poached.