Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641:body:0:p27
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 84774–87666

the development of the Threat Abatement Plan for the impacts of marine debris on vertebrate marine life (Marine Debris TAP).
Community action is a major factor in abating the immediate threats posed to wildlife by marine debris through clean up programs. However, the management of marine debris waste can pose problems once collected. Where clean-up activities have occurred on remote beaches or on beaches with dangerous access issues (i.e. crocodiles), the clean up groups may not be able to remove debris from the area. Also the huge volume of collected waste can be too heavy to move. In these situations, the waste is often burnt to prevent it from re-entering the marine environment, creating a non-biodegradable by-product that is also difficult to remove. This by-product can create an obstruction hazard for nesting and hatchling turtles[215]. While clean-up activities provide a short-term solution to the problem of marine debris, there is now a shift toward programs that seek to address the source of marine debris. Developments in waste management technology are also required to manage and reduce waste from both sea and land sources, as well as innovative uses for collected marine debris. The risks for marine turtles with regard to entanglement in marine debris seem to be based on the frequency of encountering debris rather than their specific foraging behaviour[255].

Entanglement
Entanglement in marine debris can lead to restricted mobility, starvation, infection, amputation, and drowning. Derelict fishing gear can have an extremely detrimental impact on marine fauna, as it continues to indiscriminately 'fish' passively while in the water column (days to decades)[29].
The prevailing currents and conditions in the Arafura and Timor Seas and the Torres Strait mean that the Gulf of Carpentaria is recognised as a marine debris 'hot spot'[255]. While some nets may be from Australian fisheries, most (greater than 90 per cent) are thought to be of foreign origin[127, 237]. Lost and discarded nets are a specific threat to marine turtles in northern Australia with greater than 80 per cent of animals recorded in nets being turtles[255]. It was estimated that between 4866 and 14,600 turtles were captured in 8690 ghost nets sampled across northern Australia from 2005 to 2012[256]. Ghost nets impact all species, but Wilcox et al. (2014) found that olive ridley turtles contributed the highest proportion of turtles captured (42.5 per cent)[256]. Olive ridley stocks in Australia are small, and so mortality in ghost nets is of particular concern. Hawksbill turtles were the second most commonly encountered species (32.6 per cent)[256]. There is concern that juvenile hawksbill turtles foraging in coral reefs are captured in nets snagged on coral reefs[237]. Given the difficulties associated with removing nets from the marine environment, the primary approach