1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,160 Speaker 1: We know that there are calls from recreational fishes for 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: a quota to protect the NT's Barrowmundy fishery in key 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 1: catchment areas, including the daily and Roper rivers, in response 4 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: to concerns that commercial fishers are targeting bigger harvests in 5 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: important recreational and traditional fishing areas after access changes were 6 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 1: announced last year. Now joining me in the studio, and 7 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: I believe that there has been a bit of an 8 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: update in this space is the our fant CEO, David 9 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: giir Revolo. Good morning to you. 10 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 2: David, Good morning Katie. 11 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: Lovely to have you in the studio. Now, a bit 12 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: of an update by the sounds of it. 13 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. 14 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 3: So, as you explained, we've been calling for intervention in 15 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 3: the Barrow Mundy fishery, been very worried about increasing levels 16 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:49,560 Speaker 3: of commercial targeting and commercial catch in the daily, Roper 17 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 3: and Moil catchments especially, and we've been calling for quotas 18 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 3: by weight in those catchments to protect the recreational fishing, 19 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 3: the fishing, tourism and the traditional fishing which rely on 20 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,480 Speaker 3: high levels of barren mundy stocks being in those places. 21 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 3: We know that despite those areas being closed, the same 22 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 3: amount of net and the same amount of licenses in 23 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 3: the commercial fisheries still exist. We also know that if 24 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 3: we hadn't been working really hard on this, with the 25 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 3: Guided Fishing Industry Association pushing since October both behind closed 26 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 3: doors and more recently quite publicly for action, I don't 27 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 3: think we would have seen action. But we have had 28 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 3: a response late yesterday from the territory government in direct 29 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 3: correspondence to us, saying that they are going to be 30 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 3: bringing in interim controls. However, those controls are not quota 31 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 3: and they do not go far enough. 32 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: David, tell me why they don't go far enough? I mean, 33 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: what kind of measures is the government proposing here? 34 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 3: So they're talking rather than limiting the amount of fish 35 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 3: that can come out by weight so quota, which is 36 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 3: how some of our most sustainable and best fisheries managed, 37 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 3: what they're saying is they're going to control the amount 38 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 3: of fishing that can be done. So I don't want 39 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 3: to get to technically, yeah, they call it one hundred 40 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 3: meter days. I'm not going to go into that. It's 41 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:14,639 Speaker 3: essentially saying how much fishing can be done by operators 42 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 3: in those places. What we had been calling for was 43 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 3: quota based on a conservative average of the fishing that 44 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 3: had occurred or the catch that had occurred in the 45 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,359 Speaker 3: last five or ten years. What the government has done 46 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 3: is come out and said, forget averages. We are going 47 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 3: to say the year with the most fishing in those 48 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 3: catchments in the last ten years will be the limit 49 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 3: that we set. And in some catchments that is considerably 50 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 3: more fishing than we have become used to and that 51 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:41,680 Speaker 3: the community has become used to. 52 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: Look, I'm looking at the the graphs that they've provided 53 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: right now, and I've got to tellier, it's all pretty 54 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 1: difficult to understand. It all looks pretty confusing. And you know, 55 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: there's a graph in front of me with all these 56 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: lines on it that goes all the way back to 57 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty three. Why why have they gone back that 58 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: farst Well, Katie, you know, I think people there's this 59 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 1: sort of cliche that people use the you know, use 60 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: graphs or statistics and present it in a way that 61 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: suits them. 62 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 3: And and I hate to say that it looks like 63 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 3: a case of that, because what we're talking about here 64 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 3: is taking a ten year period of time, and that's 65 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 3: what we're interested in. 66 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 2: They're going back to nineteen eighty. 67 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 3: Three at a time when there were one hundred barrow 68 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:28,639 Speaker 3: Monday licenses, before we had a multi hundred million dollar 69 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 3: recreational fishery, before we had tens of thousands of people 70 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 3: traveling to the territory to go barrow Monday fishing, before 71 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 3: we had land rights, and we had the intertitle Bloomer 72 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 3: Bay decision, for example. 73 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 2: And so really the data that goes. 74 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 3: Back to there is completely irrelevant because what we have 75 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 3: now is an industry that employs two and a half 76 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 3: thousand people in the territory worth to one hundred and 77 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 3: seventy million dollars, and the barrel Munday fishery is the 78 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 3: backbone that. So this graph does make it really hard 79 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 3: to read, but regardless, what we can read is if 80 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 3: we look at the data at the Ropa River as 81 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 3: an example, the level of fishing effort that occurred there 82 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 3: last year. I mean, it's is hard, and they've made 83 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 3: it hard with this with this, but it looks like 84 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 3: it's i don't know, somewhere around ten times higher than 85 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 3: the fishing was in twenty eighteen, maybe eight times higher 86 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 3: than it was in twenty seventeen, nineteen or twenty twenty, 87 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 3: and so the fishing effort there has increased a lot. 88 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 3: Last year, which was the year of the most fishing, 89 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 3: is the highest year in ten years. Is the new 90 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 3: amount that's been set. We don't think that that is 91 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 3: the right norm. And the problem with that especially is 92 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:45,280 Speaker 3: last year was the year that everybody was going there 93 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 3: and complaining about the amount of netting that was occurring, 94 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 3: and we were having ranger groups, traditional owners contacting us 95 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 3: and saying we've actually been trying to submit to the 96 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 3: government that we're not happy with the amount of netting 97 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 3: that's going on here, and we know that the federal 98 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 3: government will be handing those waters back to those traditional 99 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:09,720 Speaker 3: owners this year. And in this mention here, I am 100 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 3: grateful for the fact that the issue we've been raising 101 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:16,040 Speaker 3: has been acknowledged, that the impacts on recreational fishing and tourism, 102 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:18,800 Speaker 3: if there wasn't any action, has been accepted by the government. 103 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 2: That's a really important step. 104 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 3: There is not a mention of traditional owners or of 105 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 3: their concerns here in this document, and it's really important 106 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:30,360 Speaker 3: that we have to understand the future of fishing, recreational, 107 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:35,720 Speaker 3: commercial or tourism does depend on having good relationships. We 108 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 3: don't want to get locked out because we have a 109 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,359 Speaker 3: situation where traditional owners are up becoming really upset with 110 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 3: the government. But beyond that, we want the government to 111 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,360 Speaker 3: have a policy that says we get it. Barramundy is 112 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 3: important to sixty thousand adult territorians. 113 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 2: It's worth it. 114 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 3: It's important to thousands of people who have jobs, and 115 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:58,840 Speaker 3: we want to have a policy that explicitly articulates that 116 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:04,800 Speaker 3: they will preferentially treat and maintain and grow recreational bar 117 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:06,240 Speaker 3: Mooney fishing, David. 118 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,039 Speaker 1: What are reckfishers saying to you at the moment? Are 119 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:08,919 Speaker 1: they annoyed? 120 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:10,920 Speaker 3: Oh, they're living, They're jumping up and down. I've never 121 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 3: had such a response. I have got businesses calling us, 122 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:20,280 Speaker 3: contacting our board members sort of. It has absolutely exploded. 123 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 3: And then it's amazing. It's not just the tackle shops. 124 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:26,600 Speaker 3: It's not just the boat shops. It's all the ancillary 125 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 3: businesses that the hospitality businesses. It's also the big businesses 126 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 3: who have people who love fishing and they know that 127 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:35,160 Speaker 3: the fishing keeps their people sane and keeps them in 128 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 3: the territory, and it's why people want to live in 129 00:06:37,279 --> 00:06:37,880 Speaker 3: the territory. 130 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 2: So I mean, we're. 131 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: Too from here because it sounds like our reckfishes, you know, 132 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 1: to put it really bluntly, are pissed off with what's 133 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 1: going on the government's come out with this response yesterday afternoon. 134 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,279 Speaker 1: It looks like gobbledegoog to me. You know, it's like 135 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:52,400 Speaker 1: some of these graphs, I'm thinking, you can't even there's 136 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: not even numbers on there. I mean there's numbers, but 137 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:57,200 Speaker 1: there's so many numbers that it can't even work out. 138 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 2: What it means. 139 00:06:57,640 --> 00:06:59,720 Speaker 3: Well, look, of course we'll be talking about we'll talk 140 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 3: to them about getting some graphs that are readable and understandable, because. 141 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 2: The way that it's been presented right now is obviously problematic. 142 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:07,479 Speaker 3: And then then the argument of why they can't have 143 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:11,040 Speaker 3: quota is also really problematic, and again it becomes too technical. 144 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 3: But essentially it's self contradictory with some of the other 145 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 3: rules that we have in place. Katie, let's talk big picture. 146 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:22,200 Speaker 3: Big picture from my perspective here is that we don't 147 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 3: have overarching policy that says when we reform this fishery, 148 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 3: this is the direction that we wanted to go in 149 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:31,840 Speaker 3: the barrel Mundi commercial fishery. As you can see from 150 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:34,840 Speaker 3: these graphs largely has been dwindling. 151 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 2: Over many, many years. 152 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 3: And even though it wasn't explicit, that had allowed for 153 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 3: the growth of recreational fishery, the jobs in recreational fishing, 154 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:45,960 Speaker 3: the growth in fishing tourism, things like million dollar fish 155 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 3: and the celebration and the fact that we've now got 156 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:50,880 Speaker 3: thirty percent of men and women in the territory fishing, 157 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:51,280 Speaker 3: which is. 158 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 2: Way more than it used to be. 159 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 3: That because it wasn't explicitly said when we start to 160 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 3: do this review, unexpectedly we had a big player come 161 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 3: in and con solidate by seventy percent of the commercial fishery. 162 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 2: We've had these closures by traditional owners. 163 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 3: Government wasn't expecting that, and they've been caught flat footed 164 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 3: by not having a policy in place, and so now 165 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 3: they're trying to keep everybody happy and they're keeping nobody unhappy. 166 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: Well, and David, the thing is, we're six months out 167 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 1: from an election, right and there's I remember there used 168 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: to be stickers, so I vote my fish. You know, 169 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 1: people who like the recreational fishing industry and voting group 170 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:30,680 Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory is a very important one. The 171 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 1: government has to get this right, but like, honestly, to 172 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 1: be really frank with you, I don't even know who 173 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,319 Speaker 1: your minister is for reck fishing at this point in time, 174 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:40,960 Speaker 1: because it's changed a number of times. 175 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:43,000 Speaker 3: Well, look, there has been a lot of change, and 176 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 3: we've been engaged in this issue since October and it's 177 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 3: meant that we've been dealing with a number of ministers. 178 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,480 Speaker 3: I've actually I have lost canon ministers, but I do 179 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 3: want to I do want to say the current minister 180 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:55,560 Speaker 3: is Minister Bowden, and we also have Minister Monahan, who's 181 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 3: the Fisheries minister. 182 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 2: We've met with them both a number of times. Good right. 183 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,560 Speaker 3: They have been hearing us and obviously they have responded. 184 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:05,680 Speaker 3: They've directed the department to bring in these interim changes. 185 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 3: We've also been speaking to the opposition. Nobody is at 186 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:12,679 Speaker 3: a point where they need to be on Barramundy. We 187 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 3: are glad to have the dialogue and we're glad that 188 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:18,960 Speaker 3: they have publicly acknowledged the concerns that we've raised and 189 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:20,840 Speaker 3: have instead of being saying, hey, look we brought in 190 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 3: this harvest strategy late last year and everything's fine. This 191 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:25,680 Speaker 3: saying you know it's not fine. Actually all that work 192 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:27,480 Speaker 3: we've done the last three years that we've been saying 193 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:29,600 Speaker 3: has been going in the wrong direction, has been going 194 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:32,679 Speaker 3: in the wrong direction. But now people want to know 195 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 3: what does the future look like and we need to 196 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 3: see an articulation. And look, I don't like making this 197 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 3: political because I think it's actually sensible policy, and it 198 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 3: should be sensible policy. It's good for jobs, it's good 199 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,439 Speaker 3: for territorial's health and well being, and it just makes sense. 200 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:51,840 Speaker 3: It makes sense to everyone. But we need to have 201 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 3: it clearly from government. We need to have it clearly 202 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 3: from the opposition. What are they going to do to 203 00:09:56,559 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 3: make sure that we grow recreational fishing, tourism, we have 204 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:04,760 Speaker 3: sustainable fisheries for traditional owners and for traditional fishes, and 205 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 3: what are they going to do to make sure that 206 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:08,640 Speaker 3: we don't just continue to have a two hundred and 207 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:09,920 Speaker 3: seventy million dollar rec fishery. 208 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:10,800 Speaker 2: Let's set a target. 209 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:13,440 Speaker 3: Let's have a five hundred million dollar rec fishery by 210 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:14,640 Speaker 3: the end of the next term of government. 211 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:17,440 Speaker 2: And let's have policies in investments to guarantee that. 212 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:20,400 Speaker 1: David, if they I mean stepping away from the election, 213 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:23,720 Speaker 1: stepping away from politics for a moment, if this issue 214 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:27,160 Speaker 1: on quotas isn't sorted, you know, sooner rather than later. 215 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: What kind of quite immediate impact do you think it's 216 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:30,320 Speaker 1: going to have. 217 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:32,920 Speaker 2: Look, I think immediately it's going to be around perception. 218 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 3: It's going to be around perception for people who are 219 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:36,960 Speaker 3: thinking about having a holiday in the Northern Territory having 220 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 3: to pay high air fares. They want to come here 221 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 3: for the best fishing in the world. They're hearing that 222 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 3: Queensland is banning gilnetting all up and down the East 223 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 3: coast and from a lots of the golf country as well. 224 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 2: They are our direct competitor for that market. They're also the. 225 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:55,680 Speaker 3: Competitor for people who want to live in the top 226 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 3: end but want to have good fishing. Now the territory 227 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 3: has traded on having the best barra moundy. 228 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:01,559 Speaker 2: Fishing in the world. 229 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:06,360 Speaker 3: We need to continue to improve that product and that offering, 230 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:10,080 Speaker 3: but also embrace the fact that Territorians absolutely love fishing. 231 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 2: It's part of our way of life. 232 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:13,760 Speaker 3: We're not talking about all commercial fishing here and we're 233 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:16,680 Speaker 3: not even saying like in Queensland, there's now some people 234 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:19,320 Speaker 3: who are starting to line catch Barramundy sell it for 235 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:23,600 Speaker 3: an absolute premium to restaurants. There needs to be reform here. 236 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:27,800 Speaker 3: So in the short term it's around perception. But when 237 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,920 Speaker 3: people go fishing, given that there's now potentially going to 238 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:33,760 Speaker 3: be a race to use this effort amongst the licensees, 239 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:36,480 Speaker 3: we could see a situation where there are a lot 240 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:39,200 Speaker 3: of nets in the water and it does impact localized fishing. 241 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 1: Look, it sounds like an issue that needs to be sorted, 242 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:44,920 Speaker 1: that is for sure. Have you had any kind of 243 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: commitment again from the Northern Territory government following on from 244 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 1: yesterday and following on from the you know what they've 245 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:52,880 Speaker 1: sent through on the way that they've liaised with you yesterday. 246 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 1: I mean, has there been any commitment for further discussions 247 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 1: and to really try to sort this issue out. 248 00:11:58,360 --> 00:11:58,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. 249 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 3: Look, it's really important to to be fair and transparent 250 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,439 Speaker 3: about all this. The fact sheet does reference the fact 251 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:07,840 Speaker 3: that these are interim measures and that there is a 252 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:12,640 Speaker 3: need to continue to work on long term solutions. We 253 00:12:12,720 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 3: have also heard from Minister's officers that they want to 254 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:19,880 Speaker 3: work on long term solutions, but it is absolutely critical, Katie. 255 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,720 Speaker 3: We can only have long term solutions going in the 256 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:27,719 Speaker 3: correct direction if there is guidance and clear policy that 257 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:29,679 Speaker 3: comes from the top down and says what we want 258 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 3: to have. We don't have world class bar and money 259 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 3: fishing by accident, and we don't even have it because 260 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:36,440 Speaker 3: the Fisheries Department have managed it well. They have managed 261 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:39,839 Speaker 3: it well in the past, because governments have said we're 262 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 3: going to close this area to netting, we're going to 263 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 3: prioritize recreational fishing. We're going to celebrate and we're going 264 00:12:44,559 --> 00:12:47,440 Speaker 3: to grow recreational fishing as an industry. That has been 265 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:50,720 Speaker 3: a policy decision. It needs to continue to be a 266 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:53,080 Speaker 3: policy direction for the Northern Territory. 267 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:56,000 Speaker 1: Well, David Tiravolo, it's always good to catch up with you. 268 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:58,200 Speaker 1: We really appreciate your time this morning. Please keep us 269 00:12:58,280 --> 00:12:59,920 Speaker 1: up to date and let us know when there's some 270 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:00,960 Speaker 1: movement on this. 271 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:04,400 Speaker 2: Yeah. Thanks Katie, thank you so much for talking about today. 272 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, no worries at all. Thank you. Look and for me, 273 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:09,480 Speaker 1: I just think that recreational fishing is such an important 274 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:11,720 Speaker 1: part of the Northern Territory. When you talk about tourism, 275 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,000 Speaker 1: when you talk about bringing people to the end, it's 276 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:16,079 Speaker 1: a really important thing. I know that so many of 277 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 1: our listeners love their fishing, and you want to make 278 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:23,199 Speaker 1: sure that there are sustainable places to go and fish. Yeah, 279 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:24,760 Speaker 1: thank you, thanks for your time this morning.