Latest news with #ghostnets
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Researchers discover 'hotspots' of dangerous issue in fishing industry: 'Not every fisherman is aware of the dangers'
When we think of plastic pollution in the ocean, we might think of discarded bottles and other litter, or even microplastics like nurdles. But one of the major components of this plastic problem is actually "ghost nets" or "ghost gear" left behind by commercial fishing vessels. Researchers surveying the coast of India collected thousands of pounds of this ghost gear between 2021 and 2024, highlighting the problem, The Times of India reported. The survey vessels MFV Matsya Shikari and MVF Matsya Darshini of the Fishery Survey of India have spent several years going up and down the coast near Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, trawling the bottom of the ocean. They have recovered 5,562 kilograms (12,262 pounds, or over six tons) of ghost fishing gear, including nets, ropes, containers, and covers. Researchers discovered 15 "hotspots" where trash was heavily concentrated. Nets commonly wear out every eight to 10 months, and it's not uncommon to lose them. "If stuck in a rock while fishing, we pull the net out, but it tears, and the torn bit goes underwater, choking olive ridley turtles and fish," said Surada Satyanarayana, general secretary of Visakha Dolphin Boat Operators Welfare Association, per the Times of India. Indeed, left-behind gear is a hazard for marine life, entangling and strangling a wide range of creatures. It can even snare boat propellers and cause severe damage, costing people money. Because nets snare on rocks and coral and because plastic doesn't decompose, nets can stay on the bottom, disrupting the ecosystem for essentially forever. "Not every fisherman is aware of the dangers of ghost nets," said Satyanarayana. "However, some of them collect and hand over the ghost nets at collection centers for such items." Those collection centers are one of the biggest ways officials fight the problem. Local civic authorities run collection centers to gather and recycle worn-out and damaged fishing gear, rather than having fishers leave it in the ocean. But public awareness is critical to ensure these programs are used. "They need to be encouraged to recover ghost nets for proper disposal. Public awareness through communication can be a powerful tool to tackle the ghost nets menace," said GVA Prasad, scientist at FSI-Visakhapatnam, per the Times of India. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Detail in beach photo proves $17 billion Aussie issue is 'getting worse'
A major clean-up effort to rid northern Australia's coastlines of deadly ghost nets is under threat, with a federally funded scheme in place since 2021 yet to be renewed. Authorities at the Top End warn that should the government permanently discontinue the grant — which is scheduled to expire at the end of June — it would be a "huge blow" to the "critically important" work being undertaken to combat the crisis. Since 2021, rangers at Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory have removed 140,000 kilograms of rubbish and 800 ghost fishing nets — the abandoned, lost or discarded fishing nets that can drift for years — from the Top End's remote beaches and bays. They often haul them out by hand in punishing conditions, from sites accessible only a few weeks each year. Parks Australia, a division within the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, is responsible for delivering the $15 million Ghost Net Initiative, which has helped 22 Indigenous ranger groups in their clean-up efforts. But, at the end of this month, that support is set to end. Ghost nets and pollutive debris in the Top End wreak havoc on marine life, trapping and killing turtles, dolphins, and countless other creatures. They silently destroy fragile ecosystems, turning vibrant waters into graveyards. Scientists estimate that globally between 8 and 10 million tonnes of plastic pollute the ocean every year. Experts warn that, within the next 25 years, plastic waste may even outweigh all the fish in the sea. Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, a spokesperson for the Northern Land Council (NLC), the body representing the Aboriginal people of the Top End, said the decision not to renew funding is devastating. "The recent NT Government budget cuts to the Aboriginal ranger grants were a huge blow to ranger groups right across the Territory," a NLC spokesperson said. "We would hate to see more money go from a program that is actually working." Thanks to funding from the Ghost Net Initiative, researchers have been able to deploy drones and AI technology to detect and retrieve abandoned fishing nets along remote stretches of coastline. Scientists say they've found ghost nets roughly every kilometre in the region, tangled in rocks, buried in sand, or lodged in mangroves. The drones can spot net fragments as small as 50 centimetres, and AI software then analyses the images and sends exact coordinates to the rangers for recovery. The NLC spokesperson said the work ranger groups do to de-tangle and remove these harmful nets is "incredibly time-consuming, hard-going and above all critically important" to protecting the flora and fauna of the area. "Our rangers must be funded properly to do this work," they said. They say the problem is only getting worse. In Arnhem Land, Indigenous rangers have reported finding nets on beaches they had cleared just weeks earlier — the debris carried in once more on seasonal tides. "When the nets come, they trap animals like buffaloes, turtles and dolphins," senior ranger Clive Nunggarrgalu told the ABC. "We can cut the nets and free turtles, but even young buffaloes get trapped in the nets along the sand." Ghost nets are a global threat, but northern Australia is at the epicentre. The Gulf of Carpentaria is considered the world's worst hotspot for ghost gear. Marine plastic pollution is estimated to cause AUD $17.3 billion a year in ecosystem damage and about $132 million per year in local government clean-up costs. "Some of the beaches, they look great, but the rubbish is underneath the sand," Nunggarrgalu said. Yahoo News Australia contacted Parks Australia on whether there were plans to renew the scheme, but a spokesperson told us its continuation remains dependent on future budget decisions. Meaning, no commitment has been made yet, and the program's future will hinge on government funding allocations in the coming budget cycles. "Removing ghost nets addresses critical risks to marine species which become entangled, lacerated or strangled by these abandoned fishing nets," the spokesperson said. "Focused on northern Australian waters and the Gulf of Carpentaria, known as the world's ghost net hotspot, this initiative has helped reduce threats to marine wildlife and supported First Nations economic development." 10-tonne find on Aussie beach highlights devastating issue Calls for major change after 'devastating' find among bones Disturbing find exposes problem taking over Aussie waterways The spokesperson said the Indigenous Ranger Coastal Clean-up Project has supported 22 Indigenous Ranger Groups involving 3,400 people, and the government has invested $1.4 million in regional partnerships through the Global Ghost Gear Initiative and the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action (ATSEA) Program, which brings together Australia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea to address marine pollution. "We will continue to work with our regional partners to tackle this issue in our shared waters," they said. Still, those on the ground say global plans mean little without boots in the sand. "We look forward to hearing from the federal environment minister on the next steps for this program and its funding," the NLC said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
ABC News
17-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Clock ticking for patrols battling ghost net ocean plastics in Gulf of Carpentaria
It is rubbish season in northern Australia. When the winds pick up after the monsoon storms, tonnes of plastic trash and discarded fishing nets gathered in the Gulf of Carpentaria make for the coastline. Indigenous rangers patrolling the coastline find ankle-deep plastic rubbish, lids with turtle bite marks and remnants of turtles caught in discarded fishing nets. But with no guarantee of continued funding after the end of this month, they are calling for ongoing support to deal with the amount of plastic waste they see increasing each year. Scientists estimate 8-to-10 million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean each year. In the next 25 years, they say, plastic may outweigh fish in the ocean. Two per cent of the world's fishing gear is estimated to become ghost nets — lost, discarded or abandoned fishing gear. Senior ranger Clive Nunggarrgalu works with the Numbulwar Numburindi Rangers in west Arnhem Land, where six rangers patrol and care for 300 kilometres of remote coastline. Many of the bays and beaches where ghost nets and marine debris accumulate are only accessible for a few weeks. "When the nets come, they trap animals like buffaloes, turtles and dolphins," he said. "We can cut the nets and free turtles, but even buffaloes, young buffaloes, get trapped in the nets along the sand." He said the tides often buried the nets. "Some of the beaches, they look great, but the rubbish is underneath the sand," he said. For the past four years, the federally funded $15 million Ghost Net Initiative has assisted 22 Indigenous ranger groups with clean-up efforts. They have worked alongside 3,600 people to remove 160,000 kilograms of marine debris, as well as 860 ghost nets. Some of the waste removed has been transformed into reusable fishing gear, art and woven baskets. Since 2018, Sea Shepherd's marine debris campaigner, Grahame Lloyd, has worked with the Dhimurru rangers in north-east Arnhem Land. They worked together to clean up a remote, 14km sacred turtle nesting beach. "In the two COVID years, more plastic had washed up on the beach than had accumulated seven years prior," Mr Lloyd said. "It was that bad that in certain sections, we were using shovels because the rubbish came halfway up your calves. "You had to stand in the plastic to get that top layer off." He said that, without funds to keep the beaches clean, each new season would bring another stockpile of plastic waste . Ghost Net Initiative funding has allowed researchers to use drones and AI systems to help locate and retrieve nets on hard-to-reach coastlines. Charles Darwin University researcher Aliesha Havala has been working with Anindilyakwa Land and Sea Rangers using drones to find nets. She said they found a ghost net almost every kilometre of coastline they searched — among rocks, buried deep in sand or caught in mangrove estuaries. The drones can detect a portion of ghost net as small as 50 centimetres. Using AI programming, the drones then send rangers the coordinates. "A lot of the time these ghost nets are either obscured or they are buried, essentially big icebergs under the sand," she said. "Some of the nets are so large they need to be winched out of the sand or winched onto a vessel to be removed." The marine debris season for the Anindilyakwa Rangers has well and truly started. Two more nets have washed up in areas where the rangers removed some a few weeks ago, Ms Havala said. At the UN Ocean conference in France last week, federal Environment Minister Murray Watt signalled his support for a global treaty to end plastic pollution. He highlighted the need to strengthen regional partnerships tackling ghost nets and single-use plastics in the Pacific Ocean and Arafura and Timor seas. In October, the Australian government joined the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, committing $1.4 million to regional partnerships with Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The ABC asked Mr Watt and Parks Australia if Ghost Nets Initiative funding would continue but did not receive a direct answer.
