NT net free zones
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2022 11:46 am
NT recreational fishermen are being steadily squeezed for access to fishing grounds.
They are pawns where the NLC, the NT Govt, commercial fishermen and fishing guides are all engaged in tactics relating to fishing access negotiations only benefitting themselves and nobody is looking after the interests of recreational fishers in the NT .
A well-known NT fisherman and resident is organising a push for net free zone/s in the NT.
How is it to be approached?
The NT fishing legislation has a Management Plan that deals with barramundi fishing. It’s called (strangely enough) the Barramundi Fishery Management Plan.
Section 8 of that plan prescribes where commercial fishing (net and/or line) can be carried out for barramundi. Those areas are called commercial fishing areas.
Section 8 also prescribes areas which are not included in the barramundi commercial fishing areas.
That area extends from the high tide mark at the bottom of Fog Bay around to the high tide mark of the Wildman River. The legislation simply nominates some imaginary lines at right angles to high water points at those places and declares waters on the landward side of the line that follows the shoreline at a distance of 3 n. miles as excluded from the commercial fishing zone.
It also refers to similar imaginary lines at rivers in between those two places (eg Finniss).
In places where NTO land claims have been granted and those claims adjoin the coastline, then the NTO land goes out to the low-tide mark.
Everywhere else, the protected area is measure from the high-tide mark.
That protected area extends for 3 nautical miles from the “shoreline”.
Recreational fishermens' claims are that:
• NT fishery enforcement is deficient in those water excluded from the commercial barramundi fishery;
• That confusion exists about who can do what barramundi fishing in waters adjoining NTO land; and
• What areas can and can't be accessed by recreational fishermen.
The Blue Mud Bay High Court decision is quite specific about the intertidal water. Its aboriginal land out to the low water mark.
So the push is to have the land protected by the NT fisheries plan, declared a Net Free Zone. Naturally, the low tide to high water mark zone that exists next to tibal land cannot be so declared but the rest of it (from the low tide mark out to 3 nautical miles can be so declared.
Having any area declared a net free zone is not an easy task and the proponent is well aware of that. He’s also a very determined person.
No barramundi licence buy-back system is involved because commercial barramundi guys can’t operate in the exluded zone anyway. However, commercial fishermen may already be net-fishing for other species in the excluded area and may be affected.
No native title holders will be disadvantaged as the proposal is not aimed at inter-tidal waters adjoining successful Commonwealth Govt NTO titled areas.
There are other areas which could be declared NFZs that are currently fished commercially and also not subject to NTO inter-tidal waters.
Currently, NTO title holders can negotiate “land” use agreements in respect of commercial barramundi fishermen and guiding operations in the inter-tidal zone even if its in the “no-commercial fishing zone” nominated by the NT fisheries.
Similar to fishing lodges that have negotiated land use agreements for exclusive access into land claim areas.
The proponets view is that if nobody is looking after your interests then sometimes you have to do it yourself.
Some of you may know of the NFZ move already. Most of you will certainly know (or know of) the proponet.
Most would be sure that AFANT would be be right behind the idea and will support it unequivocally.
Attached is the NT Barramundi Fishery Management Plan.
You'll note that the GPS locations for the lines are in Australian Metric Grid coordinates (AMG). Google Earth GPS can operate in AMG (Eastings and Northings).
They are pawns where the NLC, the NT Govt, commercial fishermen and fishing guides are all engaged in tactics relating to fishing access negotiations only benefitting themselves and nobody is looking after the interests of recreational fishers in the NT .
A well-known NT fisherman and resident is organising a push for net free zone/s in the NT.
How is it to be approached?
The NT fishing legislation has a Management Plan that deals with barramundi fishing. It’s called (strangely enough) the Barramundi Fishery Management Plan.
Section 8 of that plan prescribes where commercial fishing (net and/or line) can be carried out for barramundi. Those areas are called commercial fishing areas.
Section 8 also prescribes areas which are not included in the barramundi commercial fishing areas.
That area extends from the high tide mark at the bottom of Fog Bay around to the high tide mark of the Wildman River. The legislation simply nominates some imaginary lines at right angles to high water points at those places and declares waters on the landward side of the line that follows the shoreline at a distance of 3 n. miles as excluded from the commercial fishing zone.
It also refers to similar imaginary lines at rivers in between those two places (eg Finniss).
In places where NTO land claims have been granted and those claims adjoin the coastline, then the NTO land goes out to the low-tide mark.
Everywhere else, the protected area is measure from the high-tide mark.
That protected area extends for 3 nautical miles from the “shoreline”.
Recreational fishermens' claims are that:
• NT fishery enforcement is deficient in those water excluded from the commercial barramundi fishery;
• That confusion exists about who can do what barramundi fishing in waters adjoining NTO land; and
• What areas can and can't be accessed by recreational fishermen.
The Blue Mud Bay High Court decision is quite specific about the intertidal water. Its aboriginal land out to the low water mark.
So the push is to have the land protected by the NT fisheries plan, declared a Net Free Zone. Naturally, the low tide to high water mark zone that exists next to tibal land cannot be so declared but the rest of it (from the low tide mark out to 3 nautical miles can be so declared.
Having any area declared a net free zone is not an easy task and the proponent is well aware of that. He’s also a very determined person.
No barramundi licence buy-back system is involved because commercial barramundi guys can’t operate in the exluded zone anyway. However, commercial fishermen may already be net-fishing for other species in the excluded area and may be affected.
No native title holders will be disadvantaged as the proposal is not aimed at inter-tidal waters adjoining successful Commonwealth Govt NTO titled areas.
There are other areas which could be declared NFZs that are currently fished commercially and also not subject to NTO inter-tidal waters.
Currently, NTO title holders can negotiate “land” use agreements in respect of commercial barramundi fishermen and guiding operations in the inter-tidal zone even if its in the “no-commercial fishing zone” nominated by the NT fisheries.
Similar to fishing lodges that have negotiated land use agreements for exclusive access into land claim areas.
The proponets view is that if nobody is looking after your interests then sometimes you have to do it yourself.
Some of you may know of the NFZ move already. Most of you will certainly know (or know of) the proponet.
Most would be sure that AFANT would be be right behind the idea and will support it unequivocally.
Attached is the NT Barramundi Fishery Management Plan.
You'll note that the GPS locations for the lines are in Australian Metric Grid coordinates (AMG). Google Earth GPS can operate in AMG (Eastings and Northings).