More examples are emerging showing how ghost nets are smothering our seas and marine ecosystems.
But dedicated Australians remain on the frontline, working to remove the debris and protect vulnerable marine life.
South Australian man Andy Alford is one of them.
He told Yahoo News Australia how he and a companion recently hauled an incredible load of ghost nets from the state’s south coast, with pictures showing the devastating amount of rope that was abandoned in the water.
“The net ropes were found between Kings Headland and Petrel Cove on the south coast of the Southern Fleurieu, just outside of Victor Harbor,” he said.
Andy described the ropes as “extremely heavy, particularly being wet” and said that despite all that they were able to haul from the water, he is “still working on” removing what remains.
“It’s quite a massive load,” he added.
“The bigger mass will need cutting and removing in clumps.”
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The fishing net ropes were found between Kings Headland and Petrel Cove on the south soast of the Southern Fleurieu, just outside Victor Harbor.
What are ghost nets?
Ghost nets are fishing nets that have been lost, abandoned, or discarded at sea.
Still buoyant and nearly invisible underwater, they continue to drift with currents for years, entangling marine life, including whales, and damaging fragile ecosystems long after they were first set.
Carried by tidal flows and trapped in bays, estuaries, and along remote coastlines, they often wash up on beaches, where they can strangle trees, smother seagrass, and trap or kill turtles, dugongs, and other wildlife.
Andy, right, says there’s still more work to do to remove the nets from the spot.
Over time, these nets break down into microplastics, compounding the broader problem of marine pollution in Australia.
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.
Ghost nets smother coastlines across the nation
This week’s discovery is just one example from South Australia, but the crisis is widespread around the country.
In the Northern Territory, the Top End is one of the worst regions affected.
It’s known as a major hotspot for ghost netting and plastic pollution in particular, and locals have long spoken out about the worsening crisis.
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Scientists say they’ve found ghost nets roughly every kilometre in the region, tangled in rocks, buried in sand, or lodged in mangroves.
Speaking to Yahoo News, Karolina Strittmatter, marine debris campaign coordinator at Sea Shepherd, previously explained how painstaking the removal process can be.
Scientists say they’ve found ghost nets virtually everywhere across the NT’s coast.
“Logistically, it’s very challenging, as every piece of trash has to be picked up by hand,” she said.
“Some nets are entangled in vegetation and buried beneath layers of sand.”
Wanga Mununggurritj, Senior Ranger with the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation, said she and assisting crew members have cleaned up everything from lighters to clothing, to plastic bottles and fishing nets.
“Everything ranging from fishing nets, bottles, toothbrushes, rubber thongs, lighters, shampoo bottles, food packaging and bits of plastic fragments,” she had earlier told Yahoo News.
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