Afant News

Fishing Kakadu

FISHING KAKADU

A Submission on the Fifth Draft Plan of Management for Kakadu National Park from the Amateur Fishermen’s Association of the NT (AFANT)
April 2006

INTRODUCTION
Over 40 000 non-indigenous Territory residents are involved in recreational fishing (29% of the non-indigenous population) and they own over 11 000 boats (one for every five households). Recreational fishing is an important part of our lifestyle and a significant contributor to our economy.

Territory recreational fishers have led the country in the implementation of sustainable fishing practices such as catch and release (both in competition and general fishing situations), the use of barbless hooks, a move away from light line/long fight fishing and now the use of knotless landing nets to minimise damage to fish destined for release. Significantly, these are fisher-driven initiatives which have been widely adopted without any regulatory action from Government. With few exceptions, Territory recreational fishers fish for the future.

Quality recreational fisheries depend almost totally on fish stock levels and a suitable environment and recreational fishers in the NT have for many years been at the forefront of moves designed to preserve fish stocks and ensure a sustainable environment for our recreational fisheries. AFANT’s first major campaign in the early 1980’s was the “Putabarraback” program which led the charge into catch and release fishing.

Over the years AFANT and other recreational fishers in the NT have been instrumental in ensuring levels of fishery and environmental protection to waters that may otherwise have suffered inappropriate development or overfishing. Examples of successful environmental protection activities include the limiting of land clearing and water extraction in the Daly River catchment, blocking the development of an inappropriate prawn farm development in barramundi breeding areas in Shoal Bay and ensuring an adequate Government response to a severe environmental threat from the abandoned Mount Todd gold mine. Examples of successful campaigns to ensure that fish stocks are not overexploited are the removal of commercial barramundi fishing from Darwin Harbour, the Mary River, The Roper River, The McArthur River and others.

The vast majority of recreational fishers are protective of fish stocks, protective of the fishing environment and display courtesy and respect to land owners, including indigenous traditional owners, and other users of the areas we fish. In short, recreational fishers are a group that should be welcome as trusted users of a special place like Kakadu National Park.

..> Read More ..> AFANT’s submission