Help Save Oceans sea creatures from Killer Nets
- by: Peta Clarke
- recipient: Tony Burke Minister for Environment
Indigenous communities say their efforts to remove stray fishing nets from the Gulf of Carpentaria in north-west Queensland will stall once a federally funded project comes to a halt.The Ghost Nets Australia project, which supports Indigenous communities to collect the large fishing nets, failed to secure federal funding and will end on June 30. Jane Blackwood from Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council say local rangers are devastated they will not have the resources to clear the nets on remote beaches. Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation ranger Brenton Yanner says the work is important to protect marine life.
"We've found washed up ghost nets with skeletons of turtle, sharks, a lot of native animals to the ocean," he said. "We've picked up more than two trailer loads of ghost nets, and that's probably a tonne each time, in one trip."
Tony Burke
Greg Hunt
Ghost Nets Australia provides an important service monitoring and collecting ghost nets from the Timor and Arafura Seas. These nets are killers of marine life, including turtles, marine mammals and surface swimming fish. Abandoned nets can undo the good work we have done trying to save these species. Please maintain the funding for Ghost Nets Australia which can provide important feedback to governments regarding incidence but more importantly, rangers remove the nets to prevent further damage.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Dear Prime Minister Julia Gillard
With respect herein enclosed a petition for funding of the Ghost Net Projects to be reinstated. Ghost Nets are net that have been abandoned at sea. They travel oceans of the world with the currents and tides continually fishing as they progress through the waters.
Northern Australia supports six of the seven world species of marine Turtles. Ghost are part of a vast raft of ocean debris arriving from South East Asia that are fouling pristine waters of the North including Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland in mainly indigenous people of Australia. Programme Ghost Nets Australia is an alliance of over 22 communities that as funded Indigenous Rangers to remove of 12000 nets of various size. This has resulted in the recovery of trapped species of which 52% have been sea turtles.
This multi award wining programme has been funded by the Government until this coming year. It is also funded by stakeholder’s cash and in kind sponsorship and donations.
Hoping you will consider this request.
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