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Researchers from Charles Darwin University’s North Australia Centre for Autonomous Systems (NACAS) are using drones and AI to spot “ghost nets” along the coastline of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Traditionally work performed by helicopters, the project involves a partnership with the Anindilyakwa Land and Sea Rangers to survey 83.74 km of remote coastline in a way that is cheaper and less restricted by the wet season, and has so far spotted 72 nets.
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“With CDU, we’ve successfully used drones to map the most affected beaches within the IPA, enabling more efficient planning, targeted net removal, and improved marine debris assessments using up-to-date data,” said ranger manager Kirsten Eden.
“We have been fortunate to access CDU’s equipment for the initial mapping.
“We will need funding opportunities for the initial purchase of our own drone equipment, continuous upskilling and training of Indigenous Rangers, and the resources to process and store the collected data on Country.”
According to the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA), ghost nets are abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) in the ocean.
“As ghost nets drift around the world, picked up by global currents and tides they continue to indiscriminately ‘fish’ impacting threatened and endangered species,” the AFMA says.
“Ghost nets can result in significant environmental damage, introduce marine pests and synthetic materials and create safety hazards impacting shipping or navigation.”
In a press release, the university said rangers use a purpose-built vessel, Jarrangwa, also funded by a government Ghost Nets Innovative Solutions Grant, to reach remote locations and retrieve nets.
“The detected ghost nets ranged from small 50-centimetre fragments to large intact nets over five metres long, with some partially buried and barely visible from the ground,” said CDU.
“Several of these buried nets were like icebergs—much larger beneath the surface—requiring a winch to extract them or a team of three to five people to dig them out and load them onto the vessel.”
According to Anindilyakwa Land and Sea Ranger – aquatic biosecurity officer Benjamin McArdle, the drones are a user-controlled tool that are suited to deployment in northern Australia.
“High-resolution images combined with precise GPS coordinates of ghost nets has greatly improved the efficiency of trip planning,” Mr McArdle said.
“It allows the team to map out routes and identify suitable beach access points before leaving the boat ramp.”
More broad-scale surveys will be launched in coming weeks.
