With the commencement of the dry season winds, the population of East Arnhem land breaths a collective sigh of relief. The coolness of the evenings and the end of the wet seasons humidity is appreciated by most.

But the end of the wet season also signals a very busy time for Dhimurru’s Sea Country Team. The dry season south easterly winds routinely blow discarded fishing nets, commonly known as ‘ghost nets’, towards our exposed beaches. These unattended nets indiscriminately collect marine life on their deadly journey around our coastline before washing ashore.

What are Ghost Nets?

They are fishing nets that have been either lost or discarded at sea which continue to fish as if guided by a ghostly hand - the ocean currents & winds - and end up becoming rubbish on our shores. These nets are recognized throughout the world as a menace to all marine wild life but in the Gulf region they are a particular threat to turtles & dugongs.

One of the most susceptible marine creatures to entanglements is marine turtles. Of the 7 species of marine turtle found in the world, 6 call the Arnhem Land coast home and they are known to travel vast distances between feeding grounds and nesting sites. Some turtles take up to 15 years to reach maturity and they usually return to coastal waters near where they hatched to reproduce. We are fortunate to host many marine turtles during their nesting season around the Arnhem Land coast, but this is also when they are most susceptible to entanglement.

Dhimurru has been managing marine turtle entanglement for over 10 years and with ongoing assistance from Parks and Wildlife NT, NAILSMA (North Australia Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance) and the Carpentaria Ghost Nets Program (Natural Heritage Trust), they are continuing this work today.  This year already Rangers have released 6 live marine turtles from ghost nets in the Cape Arnhem (Wanuwuy) region and are conducting weekly patrols to monitor the arrival of any new net.

If you do come across a ghost net washed up onto the beach, please check it for marine turtles which may be entangled. If you do find any, carefully release it and photograph both the turtle and net it was caught in. When convenient, please contact Dhimurru and provide details of the area in which the net was found and forward photographs for their records.

Dhimurru is also conducting a project which involves the attachment of satellite trackers to Olive Ridley turtles that are found and released from ghost nets. The purpose of this project is to assess the likely survival rates of turtles that have been entangled and track their movements once released. This project has been funded through the Commonwealth Natural Heritage Trust and involves partnerships with Charles Darwin University, GoVets, Parks and Wildlife Commission NT, and Swansea University in the UK.

Along with ghost net surveys, Dhimurru also organizes marine debris cleanups targeting specific beaches throughout the year.

For further information about either of these projects or to register your interest in getting involved, please contact Dhimurru on 8987 3992.

Vanessa Walsh