Sea Turtle

Sea Turtles are a very important totem for us. They lay their eggs in the sand of our beaches. We gather the eggs as a food source. We believe turtles wrestle with lighting out at sea when a cyclone comes. This keeps the destructive storm out to sea away from land and our communities.

Of all marine animals, turtles are most affected by ghost nets drifting in the ocean. As they swim, they feed in the currents that carry the nets. The Gulf of Carpentaria is a hotspot for both ghost nets and marine turtles, as this region is prime habitat for many species of turtle. It is also a fertile fishing ground for small and large - scale fishing enterprises. Most of the ghost nets found on Australian coasts come from Thai, Vietnamese, South Korean and Chinese boats operating illegally in the Arafura Sea and Timorese Sea.  Using ghost net creatively has helped raise awareness both nationally and internationally, of the environmental impact of these nets in our oceans.