Fishing debris in the Australian marine environment

The loss and disposal of fishing gear has been recognized internationally as a major environmental issue for several decades. This paper reviews the available data on fishing debris in the Australian marine environment. In some regions debris from deep-water trawl, longline and rock lobster fisheries has harmed marine wildlife and littered beaches. The highest documented incidence of wildlife entanglement by fishing debris is for the Australian fur seal in Bass Strait and off southern Tasmania, where over the period 1989–1993 approximately 1.5-2% of seals were found with neck collars. Data collected by Australian observers on board foreign vessels fishing within the Australian Fishing Zone, indicate that in 1992 and 1993 at least one-third of these vessels did not comply with the MARPOL regulations on the disposal of plastics. Approaches used to reduce debris have included education programmes, development of plastic-free gear, and clean-up programmes.