Cooperation between the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) and Maritime Border Command (MBC) has resulted in the removal of environmental hazards from the waters of northern Australia in recent months.
AFMA’s general manager of fisheries operations, Peter Venslovas, said that the retrieval and disposal operations had helped to protect the unique biodiversity of Australia’s northern waters.
“Due to the type of nets retrieved they were most likely abandoned by foreign fishers and as they drift into Australian waters can be incredibly damaging, entangling and slowly killing species such as turtles, dugongs, seabirds, dolphins and other fish species,” said Mr Venslovas.
In July and August, patrol vessels retrieved two large and abandoned fishing nets, known as ghost nets, one illegally set foreign gillnet and a fish aggregating device (FAD) in waters north of Darwin and in the Torres Strait.
Commander MBC, Rear Admiral Lee Goddard, said that this operation illustrated the Australian government’s commitment to responding to the range of threats in Australia’s maritime zones.
“Maritime Border Command and our partner agencies do an exceptional job protecting the Australian maritime border. As part of this we have an important role to play in safeguarding our marine wildlife and natural resources,” Rear Admiral Goddard said.
