A number of Australian Government Agencies have joined forces to trial a new GPS tracking system, a system which has seen two deadly ‘ghost’ nets retrieved from the Torres Strait.
The Ghost Nets Initiative follows research by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), which found that discarded fishing gear is rampant Australia’s northern waters.
Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley said the trial of the tracking device allowed the two foreign fishing nets to be safely retrieved so they could not continue to harm marine species.
“The two foreign ghost nets were retrieved from locations near Badu Island and Possession Island in the Torres Strait, and have now been safely unloaded and disposed of in Cairns,” Ms Ley said.
“The voyage also picked up parts of a fish aggregating device from the ocean east of Cape York including buoys, netting and bamboo.”
She said the Agencies involved in the trial included the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Australian Border Force through Maritime Border Command and Parks Australia.
“When nets are first spotted it is not always possible for them to be immediately retrieved, as they can sometimes weigh up to four tonnes and span a length of almost a kilometre,” Ms Ley said.
“Improving our ability to detect and retrieve ghost nets through targeted tracking technology is the key to the Government’s approach to protect our ocean and the species that live in it.”
The tracking trial comes as the CSIRO’s Marine Debris Research Team completed the most comprehensive analysis of aerial survey data of ghost nets in the Gulf of Carpentaria to date, with the study funded under the Ghost Nets Initiative.
