Proceedings of the Untangled symposium: - WSPA

Annex 4Submitted abstracts accompanyingposter presentationsGhost Nets Australia: saltwater peopleworking togetherGrace HeathcoteGhostNets AustraliaPO Box 1178, Smithfield 4878, Queensland, Australiagrace.ghostnets@northerngulf.com.auMarine debris is a serious problem across much ofnorthern Australia. Ghost nets are a particular problemin the region, with the nature of oceanic currents north ofAustralia and the proximity of the coastline to intensivelyused fishing grounds combining to deliver large numbersof ghost nets to Australian shores each year.Ghost nets can drift with currents and tides for manyyears, continuing to fish indiscriminately, smotheringreef systems and posing a safety hazard to passingmaritime traffic. In north Australia, a wide variety of marinespecies have been recorded entangled in ghost netsincluding turtles, sharks, dugong, fish, crabs, sea snakesand crocodiles. Once entangled, animals often sufferdebilitating injuries, are unable to dive and feed, or drown.Of particular concern are the numbers of sea turtlescaught in nets each year. North Australian waters supportimportant foraging, breeding and nesting grounds for sixof the world’s seven sea turtle species, most of which arelisted as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangeredby international and Australian legislation.In response to the problem, GhostNets Australia(GNA) was established in 2004. GNA is an alliance ofindigenous communities stretching across northernAustralia from the Kimberleys in the west to the Gulf ofCarpentaria and the Torres Strait in the east.The indigenous rangers involved in the program seekto find, remove and record ghost nets, as well asrehabilitate any entangled wildlife that they come across.Since 2004, the program has achieved the removalof over 12,000 ghost nets of varying sizes from over3,000km of coastline. In these nets the rangers recordhundreds of animals each year, most of which are seaturtles and sharks.Much of this monitoring is carried out in challengingconditions including very remote locations, a tropicalmonsoon environment and a lack of heavy equipment.The data collected by GNA assists in understanding theorigins, impacts and types of nets washing ashore innorth Australia. Most of the nets recorded are trawl nets,and originate from south-east Asian countries such asTaiwan, Indonesia and Thailand.This information is essential to the design andimplementation of effective policy measures andmanagement initiatives. The multi-national originof the nets arriving on Australian shores illustratesthe complexity of the problem and highlights that acooperative approach with a variety of stakeholders isneeded if we are to find effective solutions.GNA has been able to successfully clean and monitorsome of the most isolated coastline in Australia throughthe dedication and hard work of the indigenous rangersthat underpin the program. The community-driven,grassroots approach of the organisation allows rangersfrom geographically and culturally distinct regions towork together on a common problem. This has been acore strength of the program and continues to facilitatecommunication between groups on a wide varietyof issues.Norsk Fiskeriretur: resources astrayHeidi RuudNorsk Fiskeriretur ASPb 6094, 8031 Bodø, Norwayheidi@nofir.noNorsk Fiskeriretur AS (Nofir) has established a nationwidesystem for collecting discarded plastic equipment fromthe fishing and fish farming sector in Norway to preventdumping and landfilling. In 2011 Nofir collected 2800metric tons, almost a triple increase from 2010 and weare still growing.The problem has been well known for many years. Theorganization of Norwegian fishing vessel owners hasaddressed the issue through projects; the same has theorganization of Norwegian fish farmers. Nevertheless theproblem still continued until Nofir was established.The company was a result of a joint venture between afish net producer and a waste management company in2008. The two parties had then for about a year been42