Ghost nets killing marine animals on 'industrial scale'

Abandoned fishing nets that drift free in Australia's northern waters and kill marine life are in the federal government's sights.

The ghost nets can weigh up to 10 tonnes and measure more than 16km long, making them difficult to remove and deadly for unwitting sea animals.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is in Cairns on Friday to announce funding for a range of new projects, including one that involves local Indigenous communities turning recovered nets into art pieces.

"Abandoned fishing gear has been killing marine animals on an industrial scale," Ms Plibersek said.

"Sea creatures swim into these discarded nets and then find it impossible to escape. Turtles, dolphins, seals and sharks are all dying in these cruel underwater traps."

The government will fund five new projects ranging in cost up to $400,000.

One initiative involves establishing a Torres Strait Marine Debris Taskforce to work with partners using technology such as drones and GPS tracking to better manage waste.

Another project will develop an AI model to detect ghost nets and other marine debris from satellite imagery. Also, a new Indigenous women's social enterprise and digital marketplace will trade ghost net artworks to raise awareness of the issue.

The latest grants fall under an existing $14.8 million federal government package to help protect marine habitats and wildlife. The package has so far removed 195 ghost nets from the Gulf of Carpentaria, along with more than 50,000kg of marine debris.

Australia's northern coastline has one of the highest global densities of ghost net pollution, driven by prevailing currents and conditions in the Arafura and Timor Seas, said Senator Nita Green, special envoy for the Great Barrier Reef.

"Up to 15,000 ghost nets have been reported in the Gulf of Carpentaria in the last 10 years," Senator Green said. 

Plastic in the nets can also degrade and are a major contributor to the global ocean plastics crisis, Ms Plibersek said.

"I want to see a plastic-free Pacific in our lifetimes," she said.

"This program will help rid our oceans of ghost nets so that we can protect our magnificent marine life for generations to come."