AFMA welcomes the continued work of the Northern Prawn Fishing Industry to help improve sustainability of its fishing operations. In addition to recently announcing a commitment to reduce bycatch by 30 per cent over 3 years, operators in the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified NPF have now formed a partnership with World Animal Protection (WAP) to help remove lost fishing gear from our marine environment.
Abandoned, lost and discarded fishing nets, lines and traps are a big threat to marine life globally. The Gulf of Carpentaria in Australia’s north has been identified as a global hotspot for ghost nets, with over 2,400 tonnes of ghost gear drifting into the Gulf each year. While half the nets cannot be identified by their source country, research shows only 4 per cent are from Australia.
The NPF operates in this area and operators are able to see and in many cases retrieve nets found drifting in the Gulf. The NPF Industry Pty Ltd (NPFI) has joined forces with WAP to either collect the nets or notify of their location for later collection.
“Industry members have been very supportive of this approach with one company (Raptis) providing disposal facilities at its Karumba site” said NPFI Chief Executive Officer, Ms Annie Jarrett.
Ms Jarrett recently presented the work that the NPF industry has been involved with, including footage of Austral Fisheries crew member releasing a turtle from a foreign gillnet, at the 2nd Annual Global Ghost Gear Initiative conference in London.
“It was a great opportunity to showcase how the NPF has been reducing the impacts of ghost gear on the marine environment” said Ms Jarrett.
AFMA encourages NPF skippers and crews to continue to set a good example for other industry members.
“It’s great to see that NPF industry is actively interested in helping to keep the oceans and beaches in this pristine area free from lost fishing gear,” said AFMA’s Northern Fisheries Senior Manager, Steve Bolton.
“This initiative will also support the great work of local Aboriginal rangers who collect and help identify a vast array of rubbish washed into the Gulf and ending up on their coastal beaches, such as Cape Arnhem,” said Mr Bolton.
For more information on the Global Ghost Gear Initiative visit the World Animal Protection website.