Recreational fishos will need a permit to fish in waters overlying on Aboriginal land in certain areas of the Northern Territory from January 1, while some other Aboriginal waters will remain closed to fishing, while others will remain free of permits, the Northern Land Council has said.
NLC chairman Dr Samuel Bush-Blanasi said the NLC full council voted for the permits on Thursday. He said the initially free system will be based on location, date and time, and stems from the rights gained under the Blue Mud Bay High Court decision 14-years ago.
Dr Bush-Blanasi said permits will be available on the NLC website, and the updated arrangements will balance the rights of traditional owners, and the interests of recreational fishers.
“For the last two years the NLC has provided recreational fishers with a simple registration system giving recreational fishing access free of charge to the majority of Aboriginal sea country. There have been thousands of registrations during that time,” Dr Bush-Blanasi said.
He said permit free fishing will continue areas around Darwin and Bynoe Harbours, and long-term permit-free access arrangements will continue to apply in the Daly River, Nhulunbuy, Wadye and McArthur River regions, based on existing agreements between the NT government, the NLC and traditional owners.
Parts of the Finniss River and Mini Mini areas will remain closed to recreational fishers, Dr Bush-Blanasi said, and the NLC was working with the NT government for long term agreements for recreational fishing in these areas.
NLC chief executive officer Joe Martin-Jard said commercial and fishing tourism sectors have been advised Section 19 agreements under the Land Rights Act will be required to operate on waters overlying Aboriginal land from January1.
“The NLC will continue to work in good faith with Traditional Owners and all other stakeholders,” said Mr Martin-Jard.
Dr Samuel Bush-Blanasi said the changes represented a new era.
“Fourteen years after the High Court’s Blue Mud Bay decision we are finally seeing the rights of traditional owners being respected,” he said.
“We will keep looking at the arrangements to make sure they reflect the legal rights and interests of the traditional owners of that country.”
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