Northern Land Council will extend its fishing permit waiver period until mid-2019

THE Northern Land Council will extend the current fishing permit waiver period until the end of June 2019

Minister for Primary Industry and Resources Ken Vowles chats during a break at Tuesday's talks. Picture: Justin Kennedy

THE Northern Land Council will extend the current fishing permit waiver period until the end of June 2019.

The executive council has recommended a second waiver until June 2020 be approved at its May meeting.

NLC interim chief executive Rick Fletcher said the executive council made a decision to “work in good faith”.

“We’re hoping that with the assistance of industry we’ll be able to negotiate with Government that Aboriginal people have the right to be respected and they’re able to derive an economic benefit from what they’re entitled to,” he said.

NT Seafood Council chairman Daniel Kimberley said his members would be relieved they could continue business on January 1.

The NLC has threatened to lock recreational and commercial fishers out of the intertidal zone on swathes of the Territory coastline under Aboriginal ownership.

Mr Kimberley expected his membership to have a “mixed reaction” of relief and frustration at the outcome.

“We don’t want to get stuck in this pattern again of in another six months or a year having this same discussion again and neither does the NLC and neither does TOs.”

The NLC, Amateur Fishermen’s Association NT and the NT Seafood Council will meet monthly to work towards a more permanent settlement.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner appeared to condone the leaking of a confidential letter from Primary Industry Minister Ken Vowles to the NLC earlier this month.

Mr Vowles publicly slammed the leaks as having set back negotiations and damaged the Government’s relationship with the powerful land council.

When Mr Gunner was asked to comment on Mr Vowles’ anger at the leak, which he said came directly from the fifth floor, he said he was committed to transparency.

“We promised we would not do any secret deals with the NLC and we’ve kept that promise. We want to make sure everything is on the table with the NLC with AFANT, the Seafood Council. It’s critical we get that certainty and that’s what we’ve done.”

When asked if he condoned the leak, Mr Gunner said: “no” and made no further comment.

On Monday, Department of Primary Industries fisheries executive director Ian Curnow said a permit system would affect only a small proportion of recreational fishers.

“It’s important to recognise while there’s a lot of the coastline involved in the decision much of recreational fishing occurs in areas that aren’t affected by Blue Mud Bay,” Mr Curnow said.

Surveys performed by the department in 2009/10 (the latest available) showed about two thirds of recreational fishing occurred in areas which won’t be affected by Blue Mud Bay.

Those areas include Darwin and Bynoe harbours, and the Mary River.

An AFANT meeting discusses the Blue Mud Bay decision in March. Picture: Katrina Bridgeford

And 75 per cent of recreational fishing activity which occurs in areas affected by Blue Mud Bay took place in spots which are already subject to permit exception agreements.

Permit exception agreements exist in areas around Wadeye, Nhulunbuy, King Ash Bay, Daly River, Tiwi and Vernon Islands and the Daly River mouth.

The Roper and Finniss rivers will be affected should permits be introduced.

The decision will hit the commercial fishing industry harder, with operators required to negotiate with the NLC for permission to operate in Aboriginal-owned waters.

Catch records indicate about 10 commercial crabbers will be affected and up to four barramundi fishers should the NLC go ahead with the plan.

About a dozen charter companies are also expected to be affected.

In a letter leaked to media earlier this month, Primary Industry Minister Ken Vowles offered $10 million to the NLC for a buyback of fishing licences and a range of other initiatives including support for sea ranger groups. Any licence buyback would be voluntary.

About a dozen commercial licences are operating in the Territory, with an estimated collective value of about $7.8 million.

NT Seafood Council chief executive Katherine Winchester said commercial fishers wanted a solution which benefited indigenous groups and also made use of the industry’s skills.

The NLC has threatened to lock out fishos from affected zones for up to five months if a decision is not reached today.