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

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."

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.

"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.

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.

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