Barramundi fishers accused of gill-netting in Arnhem Bay waters closed by traditional owners

ABC NEWS (Australia)

In North-East Arnhem Land, traditional owners and recreational anglers have expressed concerns about the use of gill-nets in inter-tidal waters, which are subject to restrictions. The commercial fishing industry contends that it has the right to operate beyond the Aboriginal-designated areas along the Arnhem Bay coastline. However, this activity has prompted government officials to state that investigations will be conducted to determine if commercial operators are indeed fishing within protected waters, highlighting the ongoing tensions between preserving indigenous rights and commercial fishing interests.

Transcript

00:00 Last year, Yolngu traditional owners closed two prime fishing spots in northeast Arnhem

00:06 land due to concerns of overfishing and bycatch of protected species.

00:11 But recent footage suggests commercial operators may now be pushing the boundaries of intertidal

00:16 zones in Arnhem Bay, set out by a High Court decision in 2008.

00:21 They're really walking the fine line between what is legal and what isn't.

00:26 Yolngu leaders are furious that commercial operators may still be fishing within casting

00:31 distance of protected waters.

00:33 The fishermen have been just disrespecting and going back to cause problems and just

00:41 fish the way they used to do, which is killing a lot of fish and doing a lot of damage.

00:47 The government is hoping to resolve a standoff between the various stakeholders with a long-term

00:52 fisheries policy expected this year.

00:55 We continue to work with the commercial fishers, the recreational fishers, the indigenous and

00:59 traditional owners.

01:00 This has been a really, really strong consultation period.

01:03 The NT Seafood Council insists commercial operators haven't broken any laws and are

01:08 well within their rights to fish beyond the protected areas of the Arnhem Bay coastline.

01:13 Yolngu leaders meanwhile have demanded that the industry leave Arnhem Bay entirely until

01:18 formal agreements are made with traditional owners.

01:22 We need to keep away until the Northern Land Council and the people here and the fisheries

01:28 department have agreed when you can come back and do fishing again.

01:32 A kettle of fish not expected to be resolved any time soon.

01:36 [End of Audio] Duration: 5 minutes and 30 seconds

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