The Northern Territory government says "urgent action" is needed to restore depleted stocks of golden snapper — but has ruled out introducing recreational fishing licences and boat licences.
The chief executive of the NT Seafood Industry Council, Daniel Capps, said golden snapper was not a target species for the commercial industry. "I know it's very unpopular and I'm not saying it's the solution, but we really need to get a better understanding of what's happening on the water and in the fishery."
"The NT has about 60,000 fishers compared to around 700,000 in WA, 850,000 in Victoria and 1 million in NSW.