Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Gerard Maley grilled over remote overfishing monitoring

The Fisheries Minister has revealed no gill net licences have been bought back despite the policy being a key election commitment to address overfishing in the Territory.

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Gerard Maley (right) was questioned over concerns of overfishing in remote waters.

The Fisheries Minister has copped a grilling around inadequate monitoring of some of the Territory’s wildest and most beloved spots for recreational anglers.

On Thursday, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Gerard Maley was questioned about concerns of overfishing in remote waters as a result of inadequate monitoring and poor sustainable fishing practices by recreational and commercial fishers.

Independent member for Johnston Justine Davis said remote communities had repeatedly flagged the Department was not adequately monitoring their waters, leading to poor sustainable fishing practices and a lack of data-informed quotas.

Mr Maley said concerns about the remote overfishing would be addressed through the phasing out of gill nets, one of the CLP Government’s first election campaign announcements.

However he confirmed there was currently no money allocated for the phasing out of gill nets, and no licences had been bought back after nine months in government.

Mr Maley said the CLP intended to begin public consultation with sector and industry experts by early 2026.

“It will be phased out by the end of this term,” Mr Maley said.

“(But) we don’t want to rush this.”

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Gerard Maley. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr Maley was also unable to provide a budget figure for any mapping operations of the recreational fishing catch in regional areas, more than seven years after the last survey of remote fishing stock.

Mr Maley attempted to defer questions to Aboriginal Affairs Minister Steve Edgington, but Opposition Environment spokesman Chansey Paech stated: “This isn’t an Indigenous issue, this is a Territory issue”.

“There are many popular rivers, and oceans outside of Darwin … what is the budget for doing an analysis of what is being taken from those waters?” Mr Paech asked.

“It’s very disappointing that fisheries can’t ask a simple question.”

Ms Davis said remote Territorians had been pushing for greater data sharing in order to monitor and confirm any suspected illegal fishing operations.

Independent Johnston MLA Justine Davis. Picture: Fia Walsh.

But Mr Maley said such information was “confidential”, instead telling concerned residents: “If you think there is an illegal activity going on, call police”.

He was unwilling to reveal the findings of a Departmental investigation into alleged illegal fishing using commercial barramundi gillnets in the Arnhem Bay area.

Fisheries Senior Executive Director Matthew Osborne said the harvest strategy was developed last year had a more regional focus, with the Department consulting with up to eight remote communities to discuss overfishing concerns.

Opposition Environment spokesman Chansey Paech. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr Paech also asked about the finalisation of the Blue Mud Bay negotiations to provide certainty to both Traditional Owners and recreation fishers alike.

Mr Maley said currently the government was starting in King Ash Bay, 50km from Borroloola, which he said would become the “standard set of agreement that we can use moving around” the 580 km tidal bay.

“It is a complicated area and we certainly respect the owners of that land and want to get the balance right with recreational fishers,” he said.

Originally published as Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Gerard Maley grilled over remote overfishing monitoring