More than 1.75 tonnes of rubbish pulled from Gold Coast Seaway this year

Flat screen TVs, bullets, bongs and old Nokia phones are just part of a staggering 1.75 tonne haul of rubbish volunteer divers have fished out of the Gold Coast Seaway. See what lurks below the surface.

FLAT screen TVs, bullets, bongs and old Nokia phones are just part of a staggering 1.75 tonne haul of rubbish volunteer divers have fished out of the Gold Coast Seaway.

Environmental Divers, a group of 30 divers from Ballina to the Sunshine Coast, have helped retrieve the staggering volume of rubbish during 110 dives this year.

The group had aimed to complete 365 dives in 2018 but weather conditions and a lack of funds reduced that.

Environmental divers clean up the Gold Coast Seaway. This year they removed 1.75 tonnes from the waterways. Picture: supplied

The huge haul has infuriated Sea World’s director of marine sciences Trevor Long, who yesterday blasted those who litter waterways.

RELATED NEWS:

Plastic pollution a ballooning issue for Gold Coast

Local boy gives away one million free bamboo brushes

Sad truth behind pelican sitting in a kayak

“The rubbish the divers pull up is hazardous to our marine life,” he said.

“When it comes to marine life, it’s ‘out of sight out of mind’. If we had budgies and cats entangled in fishing line all the time everyone would be up in arms.

GALLERY OF ENVIRONMENTAL DIVER’S HUGE RUBBISH HAUL

“The average person just doesn’t appreciate the amount of rubbish down there.

“People don’t have the same empathy with marine wildlife as other fauna.”

GOLD COAST WOMEN OF THE YEAR — NOMINATE SOMEONE NOW

Dr Long said fishing TV shows and the like showing anglers using gaff hooks to haul up big fish reinforced the lack of empathy.

“Some of the fish they bring up are very old,” he said.

“If we do the same with a poodle or a cat and put it on the night news, it would be crazy.”

Clean-up crew member Kelly Fletcher said she dived into the project because she grew up in the area and wanted to keep it pristine.

Moray eel caught in fishing line. Picture: supplied

An octopus stuck in plastic. Picture: supplied

“But we’re sick and tired of finding turtles entangled, sea life smothered under clothes and moray eels stuck in cans,” she said.

GET FULL DIGITAL ACCESS FOR 50C A DAY

“We find some really random stuff on the sea floor such as laptop computers, flat screens, safes, bullets, bongs, old Nokia phones … all sorts.”

Ms Fletcher said the number one kind of rubbish was fishing tackle, with clothing such as socks a close second.

They had also found old boat motors and jet ski engines.

Divers also saw fish with hook injuries, crabs stuck in fishing line, injured turtles, and eels that had strangled to death in lines.

Divers cleaned up Wavebreak Island once a month, finding lots of beer bottles.

The group’s final dive for the year is tomorrow.

To donate, contact the group through its Facebook page, Clean Up Crew — Environmental Divers.