The Department of the Environment and Energy has published a new plan to help protect marine wildlife threatened by rubbish and other debris along Australia’s coasts and oceans.
The Department said injury and fatality to vertebrate marine life caused by ingestion of, or entanglement in, harmful marine debris were listed as key threatening processes under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
“Harmful marine debris includes land-sourced garbage, fishing gear from recreational and commercial fishing abandoned or lost to the sea, and vessel-sourced, solid, non-biodegradable floating materials disposed of or lost at sea,” the Department said.
“Most of these items are made of synthetic plastics.”
It said harmful marine debris was recognised as a ubiquitous, global problem.
The Department said its Threat Abatement Plan incorporated actions needed to abate the threatening process, particularly actions to develop understanding about micro-plastic impacts and the potential role of new technologies in waste management.
“The Plan binds the Commonwealth and its Agencies to respond to the impact of marine debris on vertebrate marine life, and identifies the research, management and other actions needed to reduce the impacts of marine debris on affected species,” it said.
The new 52-page Plan can be accessed at this PS News link.
