In Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” there’s an anecdote where Covey talks about a man who felt he no longer loved his wife. The man felt stuck, believing that the emotional connection was gone, and didn’t know what to do. Covey’s response was simple yet profound: he told the man to love her. When the man questioned how he could love her when he didn’t feel love, Covey clarified that love is an action, a verb. He explained that by actively showing love through small, caring actions and behaviours, the feeling of love would eventually follow.
I subscribe to Covey’s philosophy that love is as much about actions as emotions. In fact, my approach to everything I’m passionate about was profoundly changed from the very first time I read that passage some twenty years ago. This principle has been a guiding force in my life, and whilst my love for fishing needs no stoking, my dedication to nurturing my sport proactively ensures that spark never fades.
The opportunity to fish new waters and receive a massive endorphin boost was impossible for Jo to resist! Here, she rigs in hopes of finding an enigmatic sooty in this gorgeous tributary of the Einasleigh River, near Mount Surprise.
When I heard about the Great Aussie Crab Pot Review, I saw it as an opportunity to put my love into action. Receiving the email confirming my successful application was an exciting moment, signalling the start of a fantastic adventure to the Gulf of Carpentaria. In this blog, I’ll share my journey and highlight the importance of actively loving fishing (with love being a verb) — a concept I know many of you will find inspirational.
Just hanging out… doin’ some habitat work 😉
Every retrieval required all hands on deck: croc spotters, net cutters, human anchors.
The Scary Thing About Ghost Gear
Ghost gear (lost or discarded fishing equipment) poses a significant threat to marine life. Fish, turtles, birds, platypus, and even larger species like crocodiles and sharks can become entangled, leading to injury or death. The Great Aussie Crab Pot Review aims to address this issue by gathering insights from recreational fishers, conducting clean-up events in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and recycling the recovered ghost gear.
Not all ghost pots are as obvious as this one. Some show nothing more than a floatless rope tied to a branch!
No-Brainer
When I first read about the Great Aussie Crab Pot Review, I didn’t hesitate to throw my cap in the ring. The idea of combining my love for fishing with meaningful conservation work — and the chance to cast my line into new waters — was too good to pass up. Volunteering for the program has been incredibly rewarding.
Growing up on the tropical Top End coast, crab pots on the mangrove flats were always part of my scenery. Until I joined OzFish Unlimited, I was naïve to the problems they could cause. I assumed people would retrieve their pots! Who puts out a crab pot and doesn’t go back for the crabs, right?
It never dawned on me that circumstances such as strong tides, storms, or unscrupulous people moving the pots might thwart that plan. But sadly, there are many factors that can turn good intentions into perpetual death traps for marine life. Seeing the damage firsthand was a real eye-opener.
There was nothing to see of this net but the rope affixed to a mangrove… but look at all the rope that was drifting beneath the surface!
I’ll never forget the satisfaction of every successfully retrieved ghost pot. The sheer number of pots and debris we collected was staggering, but the camaraderie and shared purpose among our team made the work enjoyable. As each discarded net or pot came aboard, often after a lengthy wrestle, we celebrated with fist pumps and high-fives! If we were any more enthusiastic, we’d have chest bumped!
Now, whilst I’m a social being, I confess to working hard to manage my anxiety. Whenever I’m preparing for events where I’ll be mingling with new people, I pull on my proverbial social armour and toss my head high. With the effort I put in, I’m confident that the outcome will be successful, but I never expect to achieve a genuine connection… that would require the dropping of my guard. So, the genuine camaraderie and pumped passion was most unexpected! The genuine connections I made with the amazing people who shared the adventure with me is a benefit that will keep on giving long into my future.
Denzil Brunner (front) and Jimmy Owen-Turner make short work of breaking down a rusting net, post retrieval.
It took 15 minutes of hard graft to retrieve this float. Lucas Kas was even more excited once we got the entire ghost net in!
Robbie Porter was high and dry retrieving this one, which must’ve been deposited high on this floodplain during a blow.
Mark Brown is rightly chuffed with the haul from our first two hours on the Norman River at Karumba.
Good Vibrations
I don’t think you can ever get enough of the positive vibes from investing your energy into habitat work. It’s very addictive. The sense of elation from participating in habitat restoration projects like this one, or coastal clean-ups and riparian plantings with OzFish Unlimited, is so uplifting that I invariably find myself looking for my “next hit.”
The Great Aussie Crab Pot Review provided a next-level dose of endorphins, boosted by inspiring insights into the great work going on around the country, as shared by my colleagues over our starlit campfire meals on the Gulf shores.
To add a gilt coating on all the fine work being done by the Great Aussie Crab Pot Review, recovered ghost gear is being recycled into useful items for fishers, with proceeds going towards further habitat restoration! How’s that for turning a negative into a positive? The nets we removed from the rusting crab pots are expected to be turned into new pot floats that won’t disintegrate like polystyrene counterparts. Now that is smart!
All that netting will look far more attractive as floats, don’t you agree?
It wasn’t all ghost busting! The 2024 “Karumba Ghostbusters” mixed some adventure time around their crabpot hunts, shown here exploring the Undara Lava Tubes near Mount Surprise: (from left) Mark Brown, Jimmy Owen-Turner, Mark Harris (kneeling), Lucas Kas (Coordinator), Laurinda George, Jo Starling, Jess Leck (Researcher, front), Denzil Brunner, and Robbie Porter.
There was even time for a spot of fishing!
I hope this blog has inspired you to explore your own love for fishing and challenge how much love you are “doing.” Your sport needs you to love it… actively.
If you haven’t joined OzFish Unlimited yet, look into it. By participating in initiatives like the Great Aussie Crab Pot Review, you can explore more of our incredible country while actively loving fishing… but there are also plenty of smaller adventures to be had on your own waterways.
My adventure with The Great Aussie Crab Pot Review has been empowering and enlightening. It’s given me an enormous sense of achievement, forged wonderful connections, and deepened my commitment to environmental stewardship even further. I encourage all adventurous anglers to seek out similar opportunities and actively love fishing.
Pulling together, we can make a real difference and ensure the future of our beloved sport.
Jo Starling
Author
Jo is the Founder and National President of the Women’s Recreational Fishing League. Her greatest passion is sharing the empowerment that invariably grows through the sport with any women who care to listen.
Although battling for over thirty years, Jo has only recently been diagnosed with PTSD. This diagnosis was an epiphany, explaining why she’d felt estranged from herself for so long.
Jo came late to fishing, but since being introduced to the sport by her loving sisters-in-law, life took a positive turn. With the clarity of her diagnosis, Jo is able to understand why fishing became such an imperative. Today, she is committed to ensuring everyone learns of its magic.