Add your name to stop the gillnets

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Dear Minister for Fisheries Hon. Gerard Maley (cc Chief Minister and Minister for the Environment),

I acknowledge and thank you for your commitment to phase out destructive commercial barramundi gillnets by August 2028. However, every day that destructive commercial gillnets are in NT waters, they pose a high risk to marine wildlife, including threatened species such as dugongs, turtles, dolphins, river sharks, and critically endangered sawfish. We urge you to take the next critical steps to ensure these species are protected and to prevent local extinctions.

The onset of the 2024 commercial barramundi season, marked by greater concentration of effort in fewer areas, significantly heightened the danger to threatened, endangered and protected species (TEPS). Three gillnet fishing areas were closed by concerned Traditional Owners and the government capped effort, at decade-high levels, in three more areas. This means the destructive gillnets could be pushed into the two areas identified as critical habitat for threatened species - Van Diemen Gulf and the South-western Gulf of Carpentaria (which includes the mouth of the Roper River, Limmen Bight Marine Park and a IUCN registered Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA)).

I ask that the CLP government take the following action on commercial barramundi gillnets:

- Implement Gillnet-Free Areas: Protect and help the recovery of threatened species by establishing gillnet-free zones in the two areas identified to be of critical importance: Van Diemen Gulf and the South-western Gulf of Carpentaria. This action is urgently needed.

- Publicly outline the regulatory process and timeline for the implementation of the full phase out of gillnets in the Northern Territory, and begin funding investment this upcoming budget.

- Address Displaced Fishing Effort: Initiate a buyback and permanent retirement of gillnet licenses to manage and mitigate the resulting displaced fishing effort effectively.

Your continued leadership and swift action on these initiatives are essential for protecting threatened species and supporting the Territory recreational fishing experience, both of which depend on a thriving natural environment.

Thank you once again for your commitment to protecting our Top End coasts. Together, we can create a future where our coastal and marine environments remain vibrant and resilient for generations to come, supporting our outdoor lifestyle, local tourism industry, and unique marine life.

Yours Sincerely,

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Every day that destructive commercial barramundi gillnets are in NT waters, they pose a serious risk to critically endangered sawfish, rare river sharks and a range of other threatened species like dugongs and snubfin dolphins, increasing the risk of local extinction for some species.

Our threatened marine life can’t wait 4 more years for the NT CLP Government to deliver their election commitment to phase out gillnets by August 2028.

Swift action is needed to protect critically endangered sawfish and to keep the Top End coast healthy.

The NT Government is phasing out destructive barramundi gillnets.

Now, let’s push for the next steps: creating gillnet-free areas and buying back licenses to protect our marine life.

Act now to help keep our Top End coasts healthy and thriving. Sign today!

Our threatened marine life can’t wait 4 more years for the NT CLP Government to deliver their election commitment to phase out gillnets by August 2028.

Now, let’s push for the next steps: creating gillnet-free areas and buying back licenses to protect our marine life.

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