Kon Vatskalis
MINISTER FOR FISHERIES
July 16, 2012
Better Chance of Landing a Trophy Barramundi
Fisheries Minister Kon Vatskalis today announced the Northern Territory Government's
proposal to expand commercial barramundi fishery closures, cementing a pre-election
commitment to buy back more commercial barramundi licenses.
The closures are around the Adelaide River, Leaders Creek and Fog Bay area, as well as
closures to key creeks in Chambers and Finke Bays.
They form part of a package of measures that government has proposed to complement its
commitment to buyback commercial barramundi licenses.
The expansion of commercial barramundi fishery closures creates an uninterrupted closure
from Cape Hotham to the existing Finniss River closure.
“Recreational fishing is a huge part of our fabulous Territory lifestyle and more popular here
than probably anywhere else in the world,” Fisheries Minister Kon Vatskalis said.
“This is why the NT Government is committed to and determined to make it even better, and
this is one of a raft of measures we have introduced since 2001 to improve recreational fishing.”
Other significant recreational improvements since 2001 include:
• Significant upgrades to recreational fishing infrastructure
• Major expansion of artificial reef program
• Buy-Back of 15 commercial in-shore fishing licences
• Expanded areas closed to commercial fishing
• Opposed unjustified marine protected areas
Mr Vatskails said the closure of key creeks in Chambers/Finke bays will supplement the existing
Sampan/Tommycut closure and will provide exclusive access to these creeks that are
renowned for their trophy size fish.
"These proposed changes give anglers an even better chance to catch that fish of a lifetime” Mir
Vatskalis said.
The proposed creek closures in Chambers Bay include Marsh and Swim Creeks, as well as
Thrings, Carmor and Love Creeks in Finke Bay.
Commercial fishing will still continue along the vast flats in Chambers and Finke Bays, which is
the most important area for the supply of 'fresh on ice' barramundi and threadfin salmon.
The Government's package also incorporates a prohibition on the use of large (8inch/200mm)
gill nets. This measure will help ensure large barramundi are not caught in commercial nets,
meaning more large fish are available exclusively to recreational fishers.
The Government is also looking into the application of Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) which
use GPS technology to track the location of commercial vessels. VMS may improve fishery
monitoring and demonstrate compliance with closure lines.
"Our barramundi stocks are sustainable and this balanced package of measures is all about
avoiding conflict in high use areas and allocating 'trophy size fish' (1m) to anglers” Mr Vatskalis
said.
Mr Vatskalis said the NT Government would also establish a fisheries resource sharing
framework for the consideration of future requests to re-allocate our fisheries resources in
ensuring optimal economic, environmental and social benefits.
The announcement of the expanded commercial fishery closures and other initiatives allows the
NT Government to commence the buy-back of commercial barramundi licenses.
Fishers will be able to have their say when the measures are released for a statutory 28 day
consultation period.
ENDS

_________________

Looks like Northern Territory barra fishing is going to continue to improve faster than the rest of Australia ...

_________________

good news for sure. I can't see them fitting the barra net dories with VMS units though, they are the boats they need to keep an eye on.It's definitely a step in the right direction.

_________________

That is absolutley awesome news,

The package includes ...

Large eight inch nets to be removed from the commercial fishery to further protect trophy fish
A vessel monitoring system to be trialled for the commercial barra fishery
A resource sharing framework to consider future requests for reallocation, taking into account optimal economic, environmental and social benefits

_________________

sounds good.

What a pile of SHITE

Labor promised this in the last election campaign and didn't come up with the goods in the last three years. Are they putting forward the same election promises that they failed to commit to and hope that we are farking dumb enough to not realise this??? Getting good mileage out of the same failed election promises again and again.

This sounds like the same SHITE that has happened in Fog Bay and the Finniss..... They should close the ENTIRE area of Chambers Bay to commercial fishing if they were really serious.

There will only be a 500m exclusion zone around the major creek mouths in Chambers Bay!!!!! This means the mother ships and their tenders can sit right beside Marsh, Swim, Love etc and still take the same number of fish. The idea was to convert fish from the commercial to the recreational sector....this is what they promised.

Sounds like BOHICA Bend Over, Here It Comes Again

I will be e-mailing Kon my dis-satisfaction with this proposal and I would recommend to anyone who fishes Chambers Bay to do the same.

Chambers Bay would have been good, and the southern end of Fog Bay. Fishos should continue to lobby for that. And yes, the election promises have taken a long time.

But there is plenty of good here, particularly no more nets around the Cape Hotham creeks or in the Adelaide River mouth, or Leaders Creek.

I don't think it will change Fog Bay much, but look at the size of the closure - most of Fog Bay, plus the existing closure in Turnbull, Tapa, Bynoe, Darwin, Shoal Bay, Leaders Creek, and now Adelaide River - a huge area.

And no more nets in the Chambers and Finke Bay creek mouths - currently nets are set right in next to the small creeks at times. Not any more if this plan gets legs.

The CLP may promise to buy back Chambers Bay, but will they keep the other existing no-net areas closed? You would want to be very sure about any promises made.

So yes, Chambers Bay would be good, but this is hardly shyte news.

It's the ongoing growth of the best rec fishery in Australia!

Endless artificial reefs, new boat ramps, barra net buybacks, coastal net buybacks, and area closures ... looks good to me.

Blue Mud Bay will be the big issue for the NT - it has many potential ramifications.

_________________

A step in the right direction but it's NOTHING like what they were promising behind closed doors... Plus let's have a look at the rest of labours BS election promises... They have about 8 weeks to buy back 2-3 licenses .... Yer right like that's going to happen..

If the blue mud bay decision gets up, it will be a disaster to rec fishos

Hi Everyone

As Matt said, there is plenty of good here but we don't thnk the five-finger solution in Chambers and Fnke Bays will work. It will be just like the Finniss and we'll have to go back and fight to get it fixed later. Worst part is no licences bougt back and the closures can't actually be done with so little time before the election.

We have just sent out the media release below.

Rgds

Chris

AMATEUR FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF THE NT INC.

MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate publication 17 July 2011

BARRA BUY BACK LET DOWN

While any progress by the NT Government on the buy back of commercial barramundi licences and the closure of areas to barra netting is welcome, the Amateur Fishermen’s Association of the NT is deeply concerned that yesterday’s commercial closures announcement by Fisheries Minister Kon Vatskalis will not resolve sector conflict in Chambers and Finke Bays and may be an attempt to divert attention from the fact that he has not progressed a number of recreational fishing commitments made before the 2008 election.
“AFANT supports the proposed closures in Fog Bay and the Leaders Creek/Adelaide River area but we believe the design of the commercial closures around five creek mouths in Chambers Bay and Finke Bay are unlikely to reduce conflict between commercial and recreational fishers as the Minister has claimed as both will still be chasing the same fish and commercial netting in close proximity to the creeks will still impact on recreational catches,” explained AFANT President Warren de With
“We are also very concerned that, with just over a month to go before the August election and, with any closures being subject to a 28 day consultation period, there is no possibility of the promised licence buy back and these proposed closures being put in place by that time,”.
“Before the NT Election in 2008 recreational fishers had a clear commitment from Chief Minister Paul Henderson to put in place a Recreational Fishing Development Plan within 12 months and to include the buy back of three commercial barramundi licences in that plan.”
“Four years later, the plan is still not in place, none of the promised licences have been bought back and none of the closures that recreational fishers were led to expect have been enacted.”
“Fishers will now have to wait until after the next election and hope that the new government will take a more active approach to fulfilling the commitments made in 2008 and any new promises made in the lead up to the election including these proposed closures.”
“We think that many recreational fishers will feel pretty let down when they realize that there has been no real progress in the buy back of the three commercial licences and that the announced closures can’t actually happen until a new government is in place,” Mr de With said.
End
Media enquiries to Chris Makepeace on 0415 471 600 or Warren de With on 8972 1589

And i see where the big sawfish kills were is still free for them to net .not to smart if marine parks get on to it may end bad ..

promises aren't worth a pinch of poop until thay are acted on. Unfortunatly this government has promised heaps and delivered stuff all. Will be an intresting election.

_________________

It has done things it didn't promise too ... eg artificial extra reefs.

The lack of promised buybacks is disappointing, but there's plenty to be happy about.

_________________

I agree this announcement is PURE Politics
Labor have not fulfilled their previous election promises. The answer why is simple - They are broke - no money left on the credit card even though money was put aside for a buy back.
They just think recreational fisho's are dumb enough to think this is a win. Yes a small win but certainly not enough to make most of us change our vote in August. Dont recon it will mean much because Labor wont be in Government anyhow
Also no compensation what so ever for the commercial fishermen who will now have to travel to waters adjacent to aboriginal lands. The pros will have to pay compensation to traditional owners under the Blue Mud Bay decision. Also no thought of helping them buy larger vessels to keep their fish fresh so they can get the fish to market in good condition.
Labor has not spoken to the fishermen concerned about any of this.

Labor has also announced a closure to 45 of the current 53 Coastal Line Fishers. No compensation at all, no thought of how fish will get to the market and more important no consultation with Traditional Owners. The Coastal line fishey is going to put a class action against the government on this decision. MORE TAX PAYERS MONEY SPENT

Below are their concerns

Re – Coastal Line Fishery
Reference to letter dated 3rd July 2012- Department of Resources NT
Greater Darwin Zone (GDZ)

Concerns
• No mention of any compensation to those fishermen effected
With the closure of this large area, 45 out of the existing 53 licences will be displaced. These fishermen have purchased equipment capable of fishing within this zoned area. If they are to keep fishing their licence they must travel further. In many instances the fisherman must purchase a larger vessel and alter their fishing practices to assist in making their licences efficient and safer.
There is no doubt the resale price of those licences outside the GDZ will immediately decrease in value and those within the GDZ will increase substantially.
This may also mean, licence holders within the GDZ may increase the charges to lessees.
• No mention of any compensation to assist in payments to tradition owners
Due to the Blue Mud Bay decision compensation to traditional owners will be required. If the fisherman is not allowed to fish within the “GDZ” the only fishable areas left will be adjacent to aboriginal lands. Under the Blue Mud Bay decision compensation must be paid to the traditional owners. This will add to the operational costs to the fisherman.
• No mention of the possible purchases of licences, or consideration of traditional owners purchasing licences, or fishing within the “GDZ.”
Traditional owners are currently seeking Barramundi licences. It is therefore rightfully presumed, they will also seek to obtain Coastal Fishery Licences particularly in the Bathurst/Melville Island areas.
1. Have traditional owners been consulted? The answer to this question appears to be that at no time were the traditional owners of Melville and Bathurst islands consulted on the GDZ even though the GDZ surrounds their waters.
2. Can traditional owners purchase outside the 8 allocated licences and still use that licence within the “GDZ”? Due to the projected price differences of a licence outside and within the zone, it would be rightfully presumed a traditional owner would prefer to purchase a licence from outside the GDZ. Then argue with the government over the legalities of using that licence within the zone


• Concern has been expressed by existing licence holders
1. There is a suggestion this GDZ arrangement is biased towards some members of the Coastal Line Fishery Ministerial Council and the Seafood Council. It has been suggested the criteria may have been profit driven. (allegation not proven at this time, but should be investigated )
2. Lack of consultation with all existing licence holders
3. No mention of a reduction or ceiling in the amount of” fishing tourism vessels” operating in this area. It has been suggested these large vessels often hold up to 15 anglers which continuously frequent or target areas of jewfish congregations. As this is often a deep water fishery the concern is that even “catch and release” fish will die. This is severely affecting catch rates.
• Concern the reason behind the GDZ may be contradicted
Page 3, Phase 2. “These limits may need revision (up or down) with the acquisition of better information on the status of stocks and the fishery conditions change.”
It must be presumed this statement means either, there is not enough biological evidence to support these changes or if the changes are to go ahead then stock levels will rise due to its success, which would mean the quota of Jew and Golden Snapper will increase. This seems to contradict the goal for the introduction of the zone.
• Seafood Marketing
1. Due to the long distance our fish must travel to interstate markets, what provision has the NT Government put into place to guarantee these fish are kept chilled and fresh?
2. Keeping fish fresh is vitally important, as it currently takes up to 4 days for NT caught fish to arrive at interstate markets after packing
(a) Transportation from remote areas may take days longer to get to the buyer.
(b) No consultation with fish buyers. Due to a possible reduction in licence numbers can the remaining licences cater for interstate and local market demand of these species
(c) NT Caught species are competing at the fish markets against fish caught in Queensland that only take 2 days to get to market.
(d) Extra cost to fishermen for ice, transport (fuel etc) or the purchase of refrigeration equipment. This may well be even greater since the introduction of the “ Carbon Tax”, the increase in refrigerated truck registration and the reduction of the diesel rebate in the trucking Industry.


• Concern of “Fish Trap” endorsements in this fishery
If the Northern Territory government is concerned about fish stocks in the GDZ , can the government explain why they have allowed 5 fish traps to be endorsed on these licences which increase catches.
1. AFANT and the recreational fishing community do not approve of this endorsement.
2. Is the use of fish traps environmentally friendly to reefs, coral and fish species near Darwin?
3. There is a suggestion this endorsement is biased towards some members of the Coastal Line Fishery Ministerial Council and the Seafood Council. It has been suggested this endorsement may have been profit driven by individuals. (allegation not proven at this time, but should be investigated )
Politics
This management arrangement appears to be based around political timing more than biological and economic and social science.
There is the possibility the timing has been coordinated to match the date of the August 2012 NT election to minimise the damage to NT Labor in its inability to uphold an election promise to reduce the amount of barramundi licences. This “vote catcher” management arrangement will certainly take some of the pressure off the recreational fishing vote and partly appease The Amateur Fishermen’s Association of the Northern Territory (AFANT).
There is distinct possibility the NT Government will make an announcement regarding the GDZ prior to the August 2012 election in an attempt to alleviate the recreational fishers concerns over the lack of action by this government. “I FISH, I VOTE” is very true in the Territory
In Summary
The NT Government, through their agency the Department of Resources has been negligent if fulfilling their obligations to this sector of the commercial fishing industry, the traditional owners and the seafood buyers.




Disclaimer - Regarding the allegations of bias in the decision making process. It is not in any way alleged there is any truth in these allegations, although an investigation may be warranted.