Proposed changes could allow anglers to kill barramundi with spear guns

ANGLERS could soon be allowed to legally kill the iconic Territory barramundi with spear guns under proposed changes to NT fisheries legislation.

Spear fisherman Rick Trippe

ANGLERS could soon be allowed to legally kill the iconic Territory barramundi with spear guns under proposed changes to NT fisheries legislation.

Current legislation permits spearfishing for most fish species.

However killing barramundi with an air-propelled spear gun is prohibited.

A person can only take a barramundi using various gear types, including a hand spear or bow and arrow.

The recommendation is one of several from the NT Government's discussion paper Protecting our Reef Fish, which aims to improve the quality of recreational fishing in the Top End.

The Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries stated in the discussion paper that there were no sustainability concerns associated with the proposal.

The Amateur Fishermen's Association of the NT (AFANT) said it would not support the proposal.

However Territory spearfishing enthusiast Rick Trippe said he would welcome the change.

Mr Trippe has been spearfishing since he was a boy, owns 10 rubber-propelled spear guns and has won two national spearfishing titles.

"I love it, and unlike hiding behind a boat using an invisible line to trick fish, I only pull the trigger if I am going to eat it," he said.

"And of course there is less trauma to the fish."

Mr Trippe said he regularly free dives in and around Darwin Harbour using spear guns to shoot snapper, jew fish, cod and trout.

He said he always believed it was a technicality that the words "spear gun" had not been included in the original legislation surrounding the taking of barramundi.

AFANT executive officer Craig Ingram said members rejected the proposal, not because of any sustainability concerns but more due to maintaining the iconic status of the barramundi.

AFANT's response to the NT Government's recommendation stated a "high level of opposition" from its members.

"AFANT's members have mixed and passionate views around the issue of spearfishing for iconic species like barramundi," he said.

The discussion paper will go to the Fisheries Minister by the end of the year.

If the proposals are accepted, they will likely be implemented by the start of the next Dry Season.