Harbour Clean-Up crucial for our waterways

THIS week more than 150 volunteers participated in the eighth annual Darwin Harbour Clean-Up

4.2 tonnes of rubbish was collected during this year’s Darwin Harbour Clean-Up . Picture: NT SEAFOOD COUNCIL

THIS week more than 150 volunteers participated in the eighth annual Darwin Harbour Clean-Up.

Once again the Northern Territory Seafood Council organised a great day, with support from Territory Natural Resource Management and funding from the Australian Government.

Rubbish was collected from ten land and four water-based sites. Nine boats were used to help clear the rubbish from our waterways. NT Fisheries had one vessel out on the water and, with assistance from Larrakia Rangers, recovered a variety of rubbish including six abandoned crab pots as well as pulling fishing line and dozens of lures from trees.

This year 4.2 tonnes of rubbish was collected, almost doubling last year’s total of 2.2 tonnes. Some of the most common items collected included fishing line, cigarette butts, paper, broken glass, plastic food packaging, aluminium cans and plastic drink bottles.

In general 50-80% of marine debris is plastic. Plastic will break down into smaller pieces but never goes away. Marine animals often mistake plastics for food, and can end up choking or starving to death. It also entangles and injures other marine wildlife such as birds and turtles making it difficult to swim or fly and could lead to drowning.

The clean-up was again strongly supported by private businesses, community groups, government agencies, non-government organisations and the general community.

DO YOUR PART FOR OUR WATERS

Here’s some useful tips to help keep our waterways clean:

▼ Please dispose of fishing line, bait bags and plastic bags (including degradable plastics) responsibly, as well as any other rubbish you accumulate when using our waterways.

▼ Keep a garbage bin on board your boat or in your car and be sure to ‘stow it don’t throw it’.

▼ Avoid disposables – pack food and bait in reusable containers, buy products without plastic packaging or remove packaging. Reduce plastic pollution by not using single-use plastics and using reusable bags instead.

▼ Don’t use old and brittle line. Not only will you lose the fish you are trying to catch, it will continue entangling wildlife long after it breaks.

We can all do our bit to help reduce rubbish pollution and ensure our beautiful harbour and waterways remain pristine for generations to come. Always remember to ’stow it don’t throw it’.

For information on Fisheries related matters visit nt.gov.au or download the “NT FISHING MATE” app