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Fishing

Introduction Commercial & Aquaculture Marine Protection
Pearling Sport & Recreation

Introduction

Where fishing enterprises enter into good-faith negotiations, and Aboriginal people have the support of a strong land council, agreements are being reached which benefit all parties

Commercial & Aquaculture

The Northern Land Council has facilitated a large number of commercial marine agreements with traditional Aboriginal land owners across the Top End of the Northern Territory. Agreements span interests such as crabbing, oysters, prawns and trepang.

Agreements for trepang harvesting are in force at Melville Bay and Croker Island and there are agreements with mud crabbers at Blue Mud Bay.

The NLC is also actively supporting a prawn aquaculture project with the Gumatj Association near Nhulunbuy and research into edible oyster farming at Borroloola with the Mabunji Aboriginal Resource Association.

Marine Protection

On behalf of traditional owners, the Land Council has met with the Northern Territory Government, the Commonwealth Government and the NT Seafood Industry Council to discuss many marine protection issues.

Dugong sanctuary closures in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria are now formally included in the NT Barramundi Fishery Management Plan and, following a meeting with Environment Australia at Banyala in East Arnhem Land, a painting and explanation of Yolngu law of the salt water was included in the Commonwealth Ocean Policy document.

The NLC is a member of the Commonwealth's Coast and Clean Seas and Coast Care Assessment Panels.

Traditional owners in the Borroloola region and the fishing industry have agreed to minimise the accidental capture of dugong in barramundi nets. Under this agreement, areas where they feed are protected and commercial operators retain access to key barramundi fishing grounds. Fishing nets used have a larger mesh size and less strength to allow large by-catch, like dugong, a chance to escape if accidentally caught.

Pearling

Croker Island

One of the most significant agreements brokered by the Northern Land Council is between Barrier Pearls and traditional owners at Croker Island off the Coburg Peninsula.

The agreement involves a 10-year lease, with a 10-year option, for use of about two square kilometres of sea for culturing pearls.

The area lies in the 2,000 square kilometre Croker Seas Native Title claim - the first native title claim over the seas. Barrier Pearls is also negotiating a second proposed agreement for pearl farming in Mountnorris Bay, also in the Croker Island native title claim area, and there is a 40-year agreement with Paspaley Pearls at Coburg Peninsula.

North East Arnhem Land

Another major pearling agreement, signed in 1999, is between Aboriginal traditional owners of sea country north of Nhulunbuy and commercial companies for a pearling venture covering leases at Cape Wilberforce in Elizabeth Bay and an area known as the English Companys Islands and the Bromby Islands.

The 20-year agreement is with Arafura Pearls Pty Ltd and Toombridge Pty Ltd, both West Australian companies. They also have land leases for a hatchery and other work area

Sport & Recreation

The rivers and coastal waters of the Northern Territory abound in fish, the most famous of which is the barramundi. While recreational fishing is an integral part of the Top End lifestyle, an increasing number of tourist operators are now catering to the rapidly growing market for fishing holidays aimed at visitors from outside the NT.

Several companies already have agreements in place with traditional owners to allow fishing on Aboriginal land. The future is likely to bring significant additional opportunities for Aboriginal involvement in the recreational/sport fishing industry as other fisheries around the world suffer the effects of pollution and over-exploitation.

To fish on Aboriginal land you will need a permit.

See: Visiting Aboriginal Land