North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

The following was sent to me by a friend.

Cotton farming is expanding in the Northern Territory and recent changed proposals in water allocations by the Gunner government along with the development of dams and processing gins across the Top End could have long term consequences for the catchments of the Daly, Roper and Adelaide River systems.

For most anglers that fish these rivers, both locals and visitors, this issue seems to have sailed under the radar and the expansion plans are well in place. A lot of traditionally southern based cotton companies are moving north, probably due to the constant dry conditions in the Murray-Darling basin. Cotton farming is clearly now a very viable industry in the N.T. and the expansion plans are monumental.

Water allocation in the Murray- Darling Basin and the terrible effects on river flow, particularly in the upper Darling River, are in many ways a national disgrace. Cotton farming is highly dependent on a lot of water, and laser levelling of land means the water doesn’t flow so it can be more effectively used to irrigate crops. In times of drought downstream flow can be reduced to the point of stagnancy, and the massive fish kills of cod in recent years, isolated in drying up stagnant sections of river show how vulnerable these fisheries can be when water flow stops.

The Murray Darling system is a political nightmare, as involves four states, and a sustainable plan has never been achieved. What happens upstream reduces flow downstream and in times of drought some downstream sections actually run dry and apart from killing millions of fish the entire environment suffers.

What really worries me about an expanded cotton industry in the Northern Territory are the long term effects on river catchments and the detrimental effects that this intensely irrigated crop will have on the barramundi population in some of the biggest rivers in the area. The last wet season in the top end was a reasonable one, but the three before that were almost non-existent and river flows were minimal and the fishing in the upstream sections was extremely poor. If, in dry conditions, irrigators pull huge quantities of water out of these rivers the situation will obviously be a lot worse.

The business case for the construction of cotton gin in the Northern Territory was done by the NT Farmers Association in September 2019. This extensive report was done by Price Waterhouse Coopers to assess options, risk and viability of the development of this processing facility. This was done after successful trials of growing cotton in the N.T., with a view to expansion, anticipating a production of 400,000 bales of cotton being produced in the next decade. To achieve this production processing facilities need to be close to production sites.

A number of current pastoral leases have also committed to trialing cotton. These include the Adelaide River Valley, the Mary River Valley, The Katherine and Daly area, the Roper Valley, the Sturt Plateau and the Barkly Tablelands. This is clearly an expansion of massive proportions involving many millions of dollars. A by- product of cotton production is the production of cotton seed meal, a high protein stock feed. Most of the successful cropping has used a genetically modified version of cotton (Bollgard 3) that is pest resistant.

On reading this report it is clear that the expansion of cotton in the N.T. is potentially a massive multi-million dollar industry. This report, while about the feasibility of developing processing gins, makes no mention of water issues. According to a Fact Sheet published by Environment Centre NT water protections are being wound back. To quote ‘The Gunner Government’s proposed changes will take the Territory’s water laws backwards, not forwards, by winding back already weak protections and removing scrutiny over management of our most precious resource. Not only that, they’re being pushed through urgently without public consultation or the scrutiny of any parliamentary committee, and may be passed as early as August 2021. This isn’t the way to carry out important reform about something all Territorians care so deeply about.’

This lack of public consultation is indeed worrying. I’m actually quite amazed that this issue has remained relatively quiet when it comes to protest by anglers in the Northern Territory.
In so many issues in the past there is usually a very vocal protest to potential threat that may affect or have impact on fishing in the region. Anglers in the N.T. have been extremely influential when it comes to government policy in the past. But the silence seems deafening.

The breeding cycle of barramundi in the N.T. is totally governed by the flow in and after the wet season. Small barra pour out of creeks and drains after the run off commences, having spent their time up on the flood plains rapidly growing during the flood period. These fish move many kilometres upstream, and in a big wet season a small barra may travel hundreds of kilometres from Katherine to the Daly River. I’m not sure we know how extensive irrigation will affect this. The ecology of these wonderful fish is potentially quite vulnerable. In periods of drought, after poor wet seasons, recruitment of new stock is often very poor. If irrigators suck out big volumes of water in drought conditions it may have a radical effect on the ecology of many rivers.

I’ve spent over a year of my life fishing on the Daly River. It is a remarkable pristine river. It’s such a special place, a dynamic yet vulnerable system totally dependent on the volume of water that flows down it. Each wet season is different, and rains in the upper catchment that flow downstream each year are the absolute life blood of this system. The recreational barramundi fishery attracts tourists from all over Australia. At the moment I’m worried, very worried. The relationship between cotton farming and the rivers it needs to irrigate its crops is always tenuous at best.

Perhaps the best years of the Daly are now behind us.

Katherine mob have been fairly vocal in the papers such as letters to the editor etc. including a few published by Darwin folk that I’ve seen and probably online too. But… what’s 1-$2m per year to the region as a fishing & holiday destination opposed to say… 50-$60m just in the cotton alone in a year or two (I’m guessing that figure). No contest and he ain’t GUNNER talk about it.

Someone posted an online survey/vote thingy on here somewhere a while ago.

“Perhaps the best years of the Daly are now behind us”. - When, not if, it goes full noise I believe your comment to be bl..dy accurate at that.

Has anyone else noticed all the cotton starting to hang in the grass in the table drains and roadside that’s blowing off those huge round bales from the road train’s carting it south?

Habitat is king. You can fish the stock down, or have a bad wet season or two, and the fish will recover, but once the habitat is screwed it is game over.

In Queensland they are slowly fixing broken catchments and removing fish barriers. Down south they are restoring lost shellfish reefs.

Re cotton crops, we have seen what has happened on the Murray.

Cherabin must have a lengthy flood to successfully migrate the Daly, this has been studied. Cherabin support the Daly ecosystem. The threat to cherabin stocks alone should make cotton an unviable proposition.

I remember years ago reading an agriculture article, the mob wanting to develop the Daly thought it was comical that the fishing lobby was getting in the way.

The future is unknown, we can only speculate on it with the information at hand. Unfortunately the information we have paints a grim future for the river.

One of the points in the opening entry of this thread that stands out is the silence and apathy of anglers, fishing clubs and representative associations as well as the Tackle and Boating businesses.

It is embarrassing to be part of a pastime (fishing) demography that will rally and protest strongly when Government merely mentions harmless regulations like boat rego or licences but will bend over and take it up the clacker without a peep when Government supports and facilitates irreversible impacts on the environment in the name of progress. The pollies and developers must think we are morons.

I’m glad I’m as old as I am, it will be hard enough watching the beginning of the end but I won’t have to explain what happened to those who are younger why people didn’t speak up and try to stop this stupidity.

A shame job of mass proportions.

Bit off topic here, but the following shows how various fisheries are being smashed.

Here's an example of what happens when a fishery is poorly managed, many fishos in Tasmania don't bother with flathead any more because the stocks are stuffed (flathead are Tasmania's main recreational species), there is interesting info in the comments here ... https://www.facebook.com/groups/8459966 ... 067417212/

Barracoutta also were in plague numbers around Tasmania but not now.

In Queensland a spanish mackerel ban being contemplated, and a jewfish ban pretty much exists.

And of course the pink snapper ban in SA, garfish ban in WA ... management not done right.

With so much pressure on fish habitat must be maintained above all else, bag limits etc only do so much.

AS someone who years ago fished Western NSW I have seen the damage first hand the Cotton industry can cause to our water ways. There is a claim that this will be "dry cotton farming" but there is no doubt it will require a substantial amount of water. If this is to proceed surely the companies should be made to invest in some dams and catch rain fall and use that first?
I have been fortunate enough over the last 11 years to work along parts of the Daly and up until the last wet it was the poorest I had seen it ,increased water allocations would turn it into a series of water holes should we get poor wets, where have I seen that before? that's right the Murray Darling system. Lets learn from other peoples mistakes.