Australian Ghost Nets Art: Indigenous people turning trash into treasure
Toad Fish (and other sea creatures), Michael Norman. Author’s photo. Used with permission.
Abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is a global threat. Fishing nets, in particular, continue to trap fish and other sea creatures (often referred to as “ghost fishing”).
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF):
It’s estimated that ghost gear makes up at least 10% of marine litter. This roughly translates to between 500,000 and 1 million tons of fishing gear abandoned in the ocean each year. Ghost gear impacts marine mammals, seabirds, sea turtles, and more, and is the type of debris that has proven to be the most lethal.
A highlight of the 2024 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) was the Ghost Nets artwork on display. This form of art uses abandoned fishing nets and other discarded materials found on beaches.
Ghost Net Art CIAF 2024: Left: Ray – Sweetness, Florence Gutchen, 2024; Right: Crayfish on the reef – Eric’s Home Reef, Jimmy John Thaiday, 2024. Images courtesy of CIAF. Used with permission.
It is an art form that has been growing since the early 2000s. GhostNets Australia was started in 2004 and is part of the Ocean Earth Foundation’s programs. It has been promoting solutions since then.
This video outlines the extent of the problem and their work with the Erub and Darnley island communities in the Torres Strait:
CIAF also held a sell-out Ghost Nets Masterclass workshop with Erub Arts’s Lavinia Ketchell.
Australian museums have featured artworks extensively. The Australian National Maritime Museum mounted a collection in the Au Karem Ira Lamar Lu — Ghost Nets of the Ocean exhibition. This timelapse video presents its installation in 2018:
The Australian Museum in Sydney has ghost net sculptures in its collection.
Ocean Earth Ghosts Nets Australia has been promoting ghost nets art for more than 20 years. Their video, The Young Man and the Ghost Net, shows not only the first puppet show in the Torres Strait but also illustrates how nets are damaging the environment there:
It is not hard to find materials for artwork. This abandoned crab net was spotted from the mangroves boardwalk near Cairns airport in 2024:
Abandoned crab net in Cairns, July 2024. Author’s photo. Used with permission.
Mylene Holroyd from Pormpuraaw Arts and Culture Centre used a similar net in this artwork below at CIAF 2024. It shows thread fin and salmon, local totems. A totem is a natural object which has special significance for individual Indigenous people.
Sea Turtle in Ghost Net, Mylene Holroyd: Author’s photo. Used with permission.
This large sculpture, Nga’a Pinporro, was created by the Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Community and is located in the Barramundi Discovery Centre at Karumba on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria:
Nga’a Pinporro – Barramundi Discovery Centre, Karumba Queensland. Author's photo. Used with permission.
There are projects in other countries that use ocean debris as art. Washed Ashore was founded in Oregon USA in 2010 by Angela Pozzi. It has created over 66 large sculptures such as this one shown on Instagram:
Not only does ghost net art highlight the issue, it helps to support individual artists and their communities financially and well as providing funding for initiatives to remove the waste from the environment. The Hunter Gatherer Network Oceans Art program is one initiative, which helps “Indigenous women artists, providing equipment and training programs for recovery, repurposing and recycling of marine debris.” It is funded by the Plastic Collective in partnership with Charles Sturt University (CSU). The network had a stall at the CIAF Art Market:
Hunter Gather Network — Dr Anwaar Ulhaq (CSU), Lousie Hardman, Jeremy Sheehan (Hunter Gatherer Network) — at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair. Author’s photo. Used with permission.
Nets are found on the remotest beaches in Australia. Chilli Beach is on the east coast of the Cape York. Even 12 years ago abandoned rubbish was scarring the shore and contributing to the spread of microplastics:
There are numerous other efforts to rid the oceans of fishing debris, especially global initiatives such as Ocean Conservancy. Its Trash Free Seas program mobilizes volunteers, conducts research and public awareness campaigns. It also works proactively at prevention:
We prevent trash from entering the waters by working with everyone from individuals to businesses to change the products, practices and behaviors that lead to ocean trash.
