Yolngu traditional owners have stopped commercial barramundi fishing using gillnets in Indigenous waters in north-east Arnhem Land, the Northern Land Council has said.

The ABC reported the NLC talking about the ban, which was announced last week, with traditional landowners saying fishing for barramundi using gillnets in Buckingham Bay – abut 500km east of Darwin – led to the deaths of turtles, crocodiles, dugongs, and dolphins.

The report said about a third of the commercial barramundi fishing’s catch came from the bay and the adjacent Arnhem Bay.

The 2008 Blue Mud Bay High Court decision gave traditional owners control of the intertidal zone, and some of those traditional owners have implemented a permit system in some areas, with fishing ending in other areas.

NLC chief executive Joe Martin-Jard told the ABC traditional owner did not want to ban commercial barramundi fishing completely, but wanted gillnetting to stop.

“We’re really keen to get into some joint management with the Territory government,” he said.

“We’ve got rangers out on the ground that could assist so we can get a sustainable industry where everyone can get a feed and the commercial operators can make some money.