Territory Labor and the CLP have committed to phasing out commercial gillnet fishing for barramundi across the NT.The four-year phase-out of gillnets will begin following the NT election on August 24, 2024.
Chief Minister Eva Lawler said the ban would take four years to implement and include an offer to buy out the 14 commercial licences, at a cost of about $15 million.Gillnets are large rectangular mesh nets, used by commercial fishing operators, that are suspended vertically, often at the mouths of rivers.
The government said it had consulted extensively with one of the territory's largest commercial operations, Wild Barra Fisheries. "Obviously there's a level of frustration there, but the commercial viability of their industry has been seriously impacted by access." "We urge the government to seize this chance to create a more secure and predictable environment for all stakeholders in the fishing community," it said.The government announcement has been welcomed by bodies representing amateur fishers and fishing tour companies, who were alongside the chief minister as she announced the policy.
"The maximum sustainable yield for barramundi is estimated at approximately 1,500 tonnes, meaning the barramundi fishery across all sectors is sitting at approximately 22 per cent of what could potentially be sustainably harvested," a spokesperson for NT Fisheries said in March.