Cleaning up abandoned crab pots to save sea turtles

Pictured above: A dead Green sea turtle entangles in an abandoned crab pot found by MINT Volunteers on West Point beach.

Magnetic Island Network for Turtles (MINT) is a community-based volunteer group taking action to for sea turtle conservation in the Townsville area. Working in partnership with the sea turtle Foundation (STF), our Volunteers take practical actions to help protect the local sea turtle population where possible.

Over the past few years MINT Volunteers have responded to an increasing number of endangered Green Sea Turtles that had become entangled in crab pots along the western side of Magnetic Island.

MINT Coordinator Jo Petersen said, “Sadly, we have been seeing healthy sea turtles interacting with crab pots and drowning. We wanted to do something to reduce this treat to our local turtles”.

MINT reached out to the Department of Primary Industries to report the high incidences of sea turtle entanglements in crab pots and request a clean up of the abandoned crab pots.

In November 2025, Fisheries Officers took advantage of the clear water and high tide to undertake a clean up along the Magnetic Island coast between Picnic Bay to West Point. Ten unmarked crab pots, a substantial amount of rope, and numerous floats were removed from the area.

Fisheries Officer Ben said, “During the cleanup we spotted many smaller turtles around the mangrove line”.

Fisheries Officer Ben told MINT, “Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers conduct regular clean ups of derelict and abandoned crab pots across the state. In the last fortnight alone we removed around 100 discarded pots from the Townsville district.”

MINT Coordinator Jo Petersen said, “Sea turtles can be caught as bycatch or get entangled on abandoned pots and ropes. It is important the public reports any sea turtle they see in a crab pot via the QWildlife App so we can inform Fisheries where the problem areas are.”   

Actions people can take to reduce the impact of crab pots on sea turtles include:

• Make sure your crab pot/dilly is heavy enough and has enough rope attached to the float so it's not lost in strong tidal currents. Lost crabbing gear can harm animals and becomes litter.

• Check your pots/dillies regularly to ensure any bycatch or no-take crabs can be released unharmed. Ideally, you should not leave gear unattended.

• Report derelict, abandoned or lost crab pots to DPI https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/activities/boating-fishing/rec-fishing/reporting

  Pictured above: Fisheries Officers undertaking a cleanup of abandoned crab pots on the western side of Magnetic Island.