Marine Debris in Nothern Territory Waters 2004
Anindilyakwa Land Council vehicle heavily loaded with Thai sorting trays and foreign gillnets, Six Mile Beach survey, 2004
© WWF-Australia
The contamination of northern Australia's marine environments by marine debris is a known threat to marine wildlife. In recognition of this threat marine debris is listed,
- as a Key Threatening Process in Australian waters due to its ability to harm vertebrate species by either ingestion or entanglement; and
- in the Australian Recovery Plan for Marine Turtles, as one of the threats to the recovery of marine turtle populations in Australian waters.
Since 2000, marine debris surveys performed by WWF-Australia and partner groups have informed the development of threat abatement plans presently being developed to combat the problem.
In 2004, thirteen sites covering 28.6 kilometres of beach were surveyed for the presence of man-made items. In total, 57,635 items were collected at a rate of 2,015 items per kilometre.
All sites contained marine debris, but sites in Gulf of Carpentaria were found to be severely affected with many sites containing over 6,287 items per kilometre. Examination of these items identified 87% as originating from foreign sources. The sector found to be most responsible for this debris were marine industries such as fishing and cargo shipping.
Of primary concern are the number of derelict fishing nets found on monitoring sites and the waters of northern Australia, 98% of which originated from foreign fishing. Foreign fishing nets were also found to be responsible for all recorded wildlife strandings. Five marine turtles and 42 fish were found on monitoring sites on monitoring sites and a further 40 marine turtles and 31 fish and sharks reported to WWF by volunteers using WWF-Australia's The Net Kit.
The quantities of marine debris recorded on northern Australian beaches originating from foreign vessels and the numbers of threatened species being caught in derelict nets by this sector confirm that foreign vessels fishing to the north of Australia are the areas which require targeted solutions urgently.
