Great Barrier Reef clean up welcomed

The Minister had said the funds will be for community groups to clean up the plastic bags and lost fishing nets that are fatal for marine mammals such as turtles and dugongs.

This welcome news comes when the first roundtable of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative takes place today in Slovenia to discuss tackling the problem of lost fishing gear at a global scale. World Animal Protection has convened the roundtable to bring together governments and seafood businesses to find ways to prevent and recover lost fishing gear which circles the oceans for decades causing great suffering to millions of marine animals.

"World Animal Protection congratulates the Australian government for this important initiative to make the Great Barrier Reef a safer place for marine animals," said Nicola Beynon, Head of Campaigns for World Animal Protection in Australia.

"We are looking forward to taking part in the initiative and we hope this significant funding commitment means the Government will be renewing Australia's Threat Abatement Plan for Marine Debris which is coming to the end of its first five years. The plan is for addressing marine debris Australia wide." 

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Lost fishing gear circles the oceans for decades causing great suffering to millions of marine animals