Ghost Nets and Marine Debris Initiative
Abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear – often referred to as ‘ghost gear’ or ‘ghost nets’ – is one of the most damaging types of plastic pollution found in our oceans.
Ghost nets can be kilometres long and weigh up to several tonnes. Once lost or discarded, they can drift for hundreds of kilometres unchecked, causing injury or death to the many marine species that become entangled in them.
Significant environmental and ecological damage is also caused by other types of marine debris – from plastic bottles to rubber thongs, cigarette lighters and polystyrene packaging. All of these items and more wash up on Australia’s northern coastlines, entering the food chain of marine creatures and destroying coastal habitat.
The Australian Government has announced a new program to follow on from the highly successful Ghost Nets Initiative (2021-2025). The new program, known as the Ghost Nets and Marine Debris Initiative, will extend and expand on the achievements of previous initiative using technology, Indigenous knowledge and strategic partnerships to continue to tackle the issue of ghost nets and plastic litter in the waters and beaches of northern Australia.
The new initiative will have two major components:
- A domestic component ($20.6 million) with a focus on an expanded Indigenous ranger marine debris removal program, in-water retrievals with government and private partners, technology-driven marine debris detection and recycling opportunities in remote regional hubs.
- An international component ($4.5 million) with a focus on collaboration with Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, through the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action program, to prevent ghost nets from entering our shared waters in the first place.
Further details on the program and future funding opportunities will be announced in the coming months.
Latest news
Boosting ocean health by extending the Ghost Nets Initiative
The Australian Government is extending the highly successful Ghost Nets Initiative, committing $25 million over 4 years from 2025–26 to continue critical work removing deadly ghost nets and marine debris from northern Australia’s coastlines and waters.
Ghost net impacts
The prevailing currents and conditions in the Arafura and Timor Seas and the Torres Strait cause marine debris to accumulate in the Gulf of Carpentaria, which is recognised as a global marine debris ‘hot spot’. Although this area is remote and sparsely populated, it has one of the highest rates of marine debris accumulation in Australia.
Numerous marine species are regularly entangled in derelict fishing gear, including four vulnerable or endangered marine turtle species found in Australian waters – olive ridley, hawksbill, green and flatback turtles.
Ghost nets that wash up or are left on beaches can re-enter the marine environment during large tidal and storm events. They also have the potential to disturb and displace coastal plant and animal communities, especially turtles and other nesting species. The materials that make up these ghost nets slowly deteriorate to eventually form microplastics, which can damage natural food webs and ecosystems.
Ghost Nets Initiative
The first Ghost Nets Initiative (GNI) was delivered by Parks Australia from 2021-2025 in partnership with government agencies, Indigenous groups and other key stakeholders. Over $14 million was delivered to innovative projects aimed at addressing the challenge of ghost nets and plastic waste in the waters and beaches of northern Australia.
Building on the efforts of Indigenous communities, environmental groups and private industry, the GNI was focused on the following activities:
- Delivering new technology and other projects to better detect, collect and dispose of ghost nets, including the $3 million Ghost Nets Innovative Solutions grant program.
- Working with Indigenous ranger groups to collect data on the source of ghost nets and coordinate retrievals and marine debris beach clean ups in the Gulf of Carpentaria, one of the nation’s hot spots for ghost nets drifting from foreign waters.
- Conducting new trials in collaboration with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) and Maritime Border Command (MBC) - a multi-agency taskforce, within the Australian Border Force - to attach GPS tracking devices to ghost nets when an initial retrieval is not possible due to unsafe conditions.
- Commissioning research into the source and distribution of ghost nets and possible recycling solutions in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Report a ghost net sighting
If you see a ghost net, please report it to Parks Australia by providing a position of the sighting and a description of the net, along with any photos to Marine.Compliance@dcceew.gov.au. You can also call the 24 hour marine compliance duty officer on 1800 852 975.
Contacts
Ghost Nets Taskforce
Marine and Island Parks Branch
GPO BOX 390, Canberra City, ACT, 2601
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Edgar Waite Building 203 Channel Highway
Kingston TAS 7050
Email: GhostNets@dcceew.gov.au
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