Mr HIGGINS - 2014-10-30
Last month you put forward amendments to the barramundi management plan to open up the Mary River for year-round fishing. Can you please update the House on where that is at?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. I know the member for Daly has a particular interest in fishing, with his electorate surrounding the Daly River – an important fishery – and he speaks to me regularly about the management of fisheries across the Northern Territory.
Despite all the negativity and abuse we get from members opposite, despite the member for Barkly wanting to call the Chief Minister outside, this is a government still getting on and getting the job done for ordinary Territorians. We are making the decisions that make a difference to Territorians.
I am pleased to announce that from tomorrow the Mary River will be open for year-round barramundi fishing. The Mary River has been closed to barramundi fishing for the period from 1 October through to the end of January since 1988. Amending the Barramundi Fishery Management Plan will be formally gazetted tomorrow, and anglers are encouraged to get out on the water this weekend. I should note, there are some great tides for fishing this weekend.
The Mary River is an iconic barramundi fishery. It is a favourite amongst Territorians and people from around the world; it goes hand in glove with tourism here in the Territory. As I said before, there are some great tides coming up.
The Mary River is extremely healthy and very lightly fished, with less than 5% of spawning stock fished during that season. In 2012 the Country Liberals government closed Chambers Bay and Finke Bay to commercial barramundi fishing, effectively removing any impact on barramundi stocks from the commercial fishery in that Mary River area.
We are taking an adaptive management approach to our fisheries in the Northern Territory. That fishery, now we have closed Finke Bay and Chambers Bay, is a very healthy one. The fishery has been closed during the breeding season for more than 25 years and now it is time to move on.
This government is adapting to the new science we have and taking some of the decisions that should have been made in years gone by. What did the former Labor government do for the fisheries sector during its 11 years of government? They did nothing. If I talk to fisheries stakeholders across the Territory, they will be critical of the former government for one main reason: they did nothing and made no decisions around the fisheries of the Northern Territory. They have left all the hard decisions because they were too afraid of upsetting people; they were stuck in a state of fear and would not do anything. It is simple and true.
I am delighted the Mary River is now open to barramundi fishing all year round. I am looking forward to getting out there to wet a line, and I encourage all anglers in the Territory to do the same.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. I know the member for Daly has a particular interest in fishing, with his electorate surrounding the Daly River – an important fishery – and he speaks to me regularly about the management of fisheries across the Northern Territory.
Despite all the negativity and abuse we get from members opposite, despite the member for Barkly wanting to call the Chief Minister outside, this is a government still getting on and getting the job done for ordinary Territorians. We are making the decisions that make a difference to Territorians.
I am pleased to announce that from tomorrow the Mary River will be open for year-round barramundi fishing. The Mary River has been closed to barramundi fishing for the period from 1 October through to the end of January since 1988. Amending the Barramundi Fishery Management Plan will be formally gazetted tomorrow, and anglers are encouraged to get out on the water this weekend. I should note, there are some great tides for fishing this weekend.
The Mary River is an iconic barramundi fishery. It is a favourite amongst Territorians and people from around the world; it goes hand in glove with tourism here in the Territory. As I said before, there are some great tides coming up.
The Mary River is extremely healthy and very lightly fished, with less than 5% of spawning stock fished during that season. In 2012 the Country Liberals government closed Chambers Bay and Finke Bay to commercial barramundi fishing, effectively removing any impact on barramundi stocks from the commercial fishery in that Mary River area.
We are taking an adaptive management approach to our fisheries in the Northern Territory. That fishery, now we have closed Finke Bay and Chambers Bay, is a very healthy one. The fishery has been closed during the breeding season for more than 25 years and now it is time to move on.
This government is adapting to the new science we have and taking some of the decisions that should have been made in years gone by. What did the former Labor government do for the fisheries sector during its 11 years of government? They did nothing. If I talk to fisheries stakeholders across the Territory, they will be critical of the former government for one main reason: they did nothing and made no decisions around the fisheries of the Northern Territory. They have left all the hard decisions because they were too afraid of upsetting people; they were stuck in a state of fear and would not do anything. It is simple and true.
I am delighted the Mary River is now open to barramundi fishing all year round. I am looking forward to getting out there to wet a line, and I encourage all anglers in the Territory to do the same.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016