abandoned boats among 49 tonnes of recovered marine debris

Three abandoned Indonesian fishing boats were among 49 tonnes of marine debris recovered in Australia’s northern waters in the space of two months.

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) says the vessels and fishing equipment like nets were removed in March and April from Crab Island, Horn Island and Pearce Cay in Torres Strait.

The agency says they contracted a vessel to recover, tow and dispose of nets and other fishing equipment, and the abandoned boats. The incidents involved:

A boat and fishing equipment beached at Crab Island (a vital nesting site for the flatback turtle; the boat was dismantled, the engine and steel removed and the beach cleaned up.
Near Horn Island, a sunken vessel was retrieved and towed to a designated site at sea where it was sunk.
A third vessel found wrecked on Pearce Cay had its 80-metre-long net removed for land disposal then sunk at the disposal site.

The agency points out that the northern waters are home to many ecologically and commercially significant species including Spanish mackerel, tropical snappers, sharks, turtles, and prawn species.

DISPOSING OF ABANDONED THREATS

General Manager for Fisheries Operations, Justin Bathurst says “illegal foreign fishing continues to threaten Australia’s marine environment and will not be tolerated”.

“AFMA successfully removed the abandoned illegal foreign fishing vessels and their fishing equipment ensuring they no longer pose a hazard or cause further harm to our marine life.”

Branch Head for Marine and Island Parks Shaun Barclay says the federal government decided to extend its Ghost Nets and Marine Debris program so work to remove ghost nets and marine debris can continue.

Some of the recovered debris included an 80-m long net. Photo: AFMA — Recovered debris included an 80-m long net. Photo: AFMA

“We work with AFMA, Maritime Border Command (a multi-agency taskforce within Border Force), Indigenous rangers and the fishing industry to combat this scourge on our marine life and ensure a co-ordinated response,” he says.

Parks Australia manages 60 marine parks covering 3.8 million square kilometres, or 43% of Australian waters, to conserve marine habitats and species.

The Ghost Nets and Marine Debris program works with AFMA on in-water retrieval and funds Indigenous organisations to remove debris and discarded fishing gear from coastlines and beaches.