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What is the Problem?Nearly all (90%) of the marine debris entering the coastal regions of northern Australia is of a fishing nature and originates from all parts of South East Asia. For the most part the nets arrive during the monsoonal season from November to March (red arrows) but on the western shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria the nets get swept in during the south east trade winds mainly between May - September (blue arrows). The reason is because the Gulf experiences a circular current or gyre similar to that which has created the large island mass of rubbish in the NW Pacific Ocean. Context in which we work - "Caring for Country"
We are working in an environment that is extremely remote and unpopulated with areas difficult to access by land. The people are mostly Indigenous scattered in isolated pockets, some in townships created by the establishment of mines and the rest in homelands. This means they have culturally diverse backgrounds and a wide range in their capacity to do things but they all aspire to have greater influence on the management of their coastal resources including threats to those resources. Ghost Net work is but a small part of the larger "Caring for Country" activities that are performed by rangers and community organisations across the whole northern Australia.
Caring for Country is best summed up by a team of medical researchers in their publication: For Indigenous peoples, "country" encompasses an interdependent relationship between Indigenous peoples and their ancestral lands and seas. [Burgess, CP 2008] "Country is multi-dimensional - it consists of people, animals, plants, Dreamings; underground, earth, soils, minerals and waters, air. . . People talk about country in the same way that they would talk about a person: they speak to country, sing to country, visit country, worry about country, feel sorry for country, and long for country." [Rose D. 1996] "Caring for country" means participating in interrelated activities on Aboriginal lands and seas with the objective of promoting ecological, spiritual and human health. It is also a community driven movement towards long-term social, cultural, physical and sustainable economic development in rural and remote locations, simultaneously contributing to the conservation of globally valued environmental and cultural assets. [Morrison J, 2007] By combining customary and contemporary knowledge, Aboriginal landowners deliver a broad suite of environmental services of national and global significance, including:
For more information see Partners - and Reports - for the full article:
How are we fixing it?As only about 10% of the Ghost Nets found so far are of Australian origin this makes finding a solution to the problem a complex issue needing more than just a quick fix cleanup & an education campaign to local fishermen. It needs: 
Photo courtesy WWF
For more information refer to News - and Projects
From Nets to Ghost NetsWhat is A Net?Fishing gear, often referred to simply as "nets", are constructed of the net material (sometimes cut to a shape) plus ropes, floats and possibly chains or leads. When we find a "net" it is often only a scrap of net material. Rarely do we find the whole gear. So, identifying what type of gear, what it is used for, can be very difficult as many types of fishing gear are also constructed of several types of net material The range of marine species that is harvested from the ocean is very diverse. All have their own particular breeding, swimming & habitat peculiarities so in order to harvest them the fisher must know this to design his fishing gear accordingly. There are four basic harvesting procedures which affect the construction of the gear including the mesh sizes, buoyancy of the net and the quality of the materials used. In short: Gill nets entangle the fish, purse nets surround, seine nets herd and trawl nets scoop the fish up.
How are they used?Gill nets are used as a wall of net to entangle fish by the gills as they swim into it, literally to stop them in their tracks. They are usually constructed of long sheets of net attached to ropes at the top and bottom called head & foot ropes. The main characteristic of a gill net is its simplicity and that it can be set (by anchoring at one end to a vessel, buoy or even a tree) and left for a period of time. Depending on whether it is to be set at the bottom of ocean or waterway or close to the surface as is the picture below, will determine whether the net also has floats, chains or anchors attached. The picture below shows a "bottom gill" as it is set on the floor of the ocean. 
Picture sourced from Australian Fisheries Resources. (1993) by Kailola, et al
Purse nets are used on primarily school fish. They are designed to surround the fish all the way to the bottom of the ocean which indicates that they are used in mostly shallow waters. Once the school of fish is surrounded the bottom of the net is drawn together slowly, through the tightening up of purse 'strings'. This effectively encloses the fish from underneath so they cannot jump out. It works on the principle that school fish do not like to jump up and over a moving object but stick with the pack. These nets are often used to catch small fish such as sardines to be used as bait for bigger fish such as shark. 
Picture sourced from Australian Fisheries Resources. (1993) by Kailola, et al
Seine nets on the other hand, have two long wings that are attached to the vessel by way of long ropes which are slowly hauled into the boat as shown through steps 1-5 in the diagram below. This resembles a slingshot that herds its catch. There is also an important section of the net which is heavily reinforced, called the bunt, as it receives all the force of water and catch. It is of a complex contsruction and use and is used in various ways. Seine nets are mostly used in deep water for school fish where a purse net is unsuitable. There is also a combination "purse seine" often used to catch Tuna. 
Pictures sourced from Australian Fisheries Resources. (1993) by Kailola, et al
Trawl nets are dragged behind boats scooping their catch like cleaning a swimming pool of leaves and debris. As trawl gear can be used on the bottom of the ocean floor or mid-water: shallow or deep the variations in construction revolve around buoyancy of the net material used and number of panels. These panels consist of different sized mesh so that the overall 'drag' affect enables the vessel to move at a steady rate 
Pictures sourced from Australian Fisheries Resources. (1993) by Kailola, et al
Why are nets lost?Due to the diverse nature of fishing activities, the environmental conditions in which they work and the technology they use to some degree fishing gear is bound to be accidentally lost. Abandoned and discarded nets on the other hand can either be deliberate or unintentional. The United Nations Environmental Program Report, Abandoned, Lost or Otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG), by MacFadyen et al, states that: "Direct causes of ALDFG result from a variety of pressures on fishers, namely enforcement pressure causing those operating illegally to abandon gear; operational pressure and weather making it more likely that gear will be left of discarded; economic pressure leading to dumping of unwanted fishing gear at sea rather than disposal onshore; and spatial pressure resulting in the loss or damage of gear through gear conflicts. Indirect causes include the unavailability of onshore waste disposal facilities, as well as their accessibility and cost of use."
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