World First For Ghost Net Busters

An exciting new program is coming to the Whitsundays, one that will offer new methods for monitoring and preventing the damage done by drifting ghost nets on the Great Barrier Reef.

Ghost nets is the term used for discarded fishing nets, which are thrown into the ocean by commercial fishing vessels.

These large drifting death traps easily entangle unsuspecting marine life such as seals and turtles.

They also fall to the bottom of the ocean and lay on the coral reef inhibiting the natural function of this diverse ecosystem.

It is hoped this destruction will soon be prevented by a unique new partnership between local not-for-profit organisation, Tangaroa Blue, and telecommunication company SatLink.

The idea was born when Tangaroa Blue was searching for a way to reuse and recycle international commercial fishing echosounder buoys.

When they connected with SatLink, discussions led to them forming a partnership that will see the launch of Project ReCon - a world-first project that repurposes recovered echosounder buoys and then uses satellite technology to tag and track ghost nets while retrieval teams are mobilised to remove them.

Some ghost nets can be as large as football fields, so they are almost impossible for small vessels to remove, they require the attention of experts with larger vessels and purpose-built equipment.

Previously, nets that were spotted could easily get lost again before help arrived, but this new system will allow them to be tracked and removed with ease.

“With our teams looking for ways to reuse and recycle international commercial fishing echosounder buoys retrieved from beach clean-ups along the Reef, it was very much a case of who ya gonna call,” says Heidi Tait, CEO of Tangaroa Blue Foundation.

“Turns out, Satlink was the ghost net buster we needed to speak with to be able to repurpose the buoys and divert them from landfill."

This perfect partnership will see the launch of local activities in the Whitsundays early next year and it will then be rolled out around Australia through the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) network.

"By working with international commercial fishing fleet partners, we can have the buoys recovered by Tangaroa Blue and their AMDI partners tested and reassigned to track ghost nets along the Reef,” said Kathryn Gavira, Satlink’s Head of Science and Sustainability.

“The technology also allows for virtual fences to be put around reefs providing notifications before nets impact critically sensitive areas."

Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef and Labor Senator for Queensland, Senator Nita Green said that she is excited by the project.

“It is a further step in the right direction to one day ensuring our waters are free from ghost nets. Well done to everyone involved,” she said.

“Ghost nets pose a huge problem in the world’s oceans including Australia’s northern oceans and the Great Barrier Reef, where sadly we see tonnes of fish, dugongs, turtles and other marine species getting tangled up, and coral being put at risk.”

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A research vessel is able to attach a tracking buoy to large swathes of ghost net. Photo credit: Chris Bolton Fishing

Ghost nets are known to trap animals such as turtles and seals. Photo credit: WWF

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