NT fishos tackling litter from the ground up one bin at a time
Anglers around Darwin and Palmerston may have noticed a few little green boxes pop up at their favourite fishing spots. Sitting unobtrusively attached to jetties and posts close to the water, waiting to be investigated by passing fishos. They have been installed to ensure the future of fishing in the region.
Eight tangle bins were placed across popular marine and freshwater locations, empowering recreational fishers to take charge of their waterways’ health and do the right thing. Over 3.5km of fishing line has already been collected, which is longer than it takes to walk from Fannie Bay Cliffs to Mindil Beach – now that’s a lot of line!
Although the bins have had a great response in getting used, Harvey Martinez, NT Project Officer for OzFish, is still looking for community volunteers to help clean them out and sort what’s been collected.
“They’ve been in now for close to six months. It’s great to see strong community support for the project, with anglers actively using the bins and volunteers regularly sorting and removing contents.
“Thanks to these wonderful volunteers, we’re now able to get a snapshot of what’s been collected and removed from our waterways. This information helps us understand the types and quantities of waste, which is crucial for developing effective waste management and recycling strategies.”
said Harvey.
What we’ve found inside the Tangle Bins
- Bait Bags & Packaging: 87 items were recorded across various locations, with Nightcliff Jetty and Rapid Creek being the hotspots for this type of waste.
- Sinkers: These accounted for 46 items, with Sanctuary Lake and Nightcliff Jetty being the primary contributors.
- Hooks: 122 hooks were found, mostly at Rapid Creek and Nightcliff Jetty.
- Line: Over 3,568 meters of fishing line was collected, with Rapid Creek leading the tally.
- Lures/Floats: 25 lures/floats were recorded, with Sanctuary Lake and Nightcliff Jetty being the primary locations.
Become a waterway steward
The project reinforces the fishing community’s dedication to maintaining the cleanliness and safety of our waterways. To sustain this success, we invite fishos to take up the challenge and be a volunteer Tangle Bin collector.
“We’re very keen to hear from more volunteers, it takes maybe ten minutes all up of your time to clean out a tangle bin every week or two and collate the data. “
“Volunteers tell us they get a real kick out of knowing they’re helping make a difference.
“If anyone is interested, I’d encourage them to get in touch with us on our website.”
said Harvey.
One of the secrets to good projects like this is community support. Volunteers make these things happen and the data brings us closer to a better fishing future. Head to the Northern Territory Tangle Bin project page to find out more.
We invite all rec fishers who are interested in improving fish habitat in the region to go one step further and become a member of the Darwin Chapter today.
