Source: Tasmania Police
Issued: 23 Apr 2025
The Queensland Government has added a new function to the QWildlife app, allowing marine strandings across the state to be reported in real time to the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI).
Launched in 2020, the highly popular and successful QWildlife app that allows people to report crocodile sightings and koala sightings to DETSI has been expanded to include marine strandings.
People can now report stranding incidents along Queensland’s vast coastline and include the time and date along with photographs of stranded marine animals, such as turtles, sharks and marine mammals.
This citizen science information will help DETSI to better understand marine strandings across the state and will ensure the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) and local wildlife carer groups can be activated quickly to respond to stranded marine life.
QPWS Assistant Director-General Andrew Buckley said marine animals strand for several reasons, including illness or disease, predation and human intervention such as boat strike or entanglement in fishing equipment.
“This new function of the QWildlife app demonstrates the Queensland Government’s commitment to protecting and conserving our extraordinary marine animals,” he said.
“I encourage all residents and visitors to our coastal areas to download and use the QWildlife app to report sightings of stranded marine animals.
“Your contributions are essential in understanding and enhancing the conservation and welfare of marine life across our coastline.
“The Marine Stranding functionality of the QWildlife app promotes community involvement and also represents a crucial step in marine conservation.
“Its ability to collect real-time data will be invaluable in guiding our conservation strategies, marine life rescues and to mitigate human intervention.”
Chief Technology Officer Peter Reyne from software development firm GP One said the new function would add a vital element to the QWildlife app.
“The crocodile and koala functions of the QWildlife app have provided critical information about those species and extending that for marine life conservation was the next step,” Mr Reyne said.
“We anticipate that the addition of Marine Strandings to the QWildlife app will significantly improve the Queensland Government’s ability to respond to our treasured sea creatures when they strand.”
The QWildlife app can be downloaded by visiting the app store or Google Play.
View more information on downloading the QWildlife app to report a marine animal stranding, Marine wildlife strandings including strandings data.