#NorthernTerritory (NT) waters make up the last global stronghold for endangered #sawfish and one of the world's rarest shark species, the #RiverShark. Four of the world's five sawfish species and two of the world's five river shark species call NT waters home.
Right now, sawfish and river sharks are not protected from commercial #gillnets in their #CriticalHabitat along the coastlines of major river systems in the NT.
Last year, three gillnet fishing areas were closed by concerned Traditional Owners because of the impact of #gillnetting has on their food security and culturally significant animals, including sawfish.
The commercial fishery's loss of access to these coastal waters means gillnetting is now being concentrated near the mouths of the #Daly and #Roper rivers at levels not seen in up to 10 years.
The Daly River is home to one of the world's very few known #nurseries of critically #endangered#FreshwaterSawfish. It's at this time of year (wet season) that they're the most exposed, as they spend time near the river mouth giving birth to #pups and #breeding.
yet up to 1km of #gillnets can be used by a single commercial #barramundi fisher at the mouth of the Roper River every single day for eight months each year.
The NT Government's new plan to protect endangered sawfish and rare river sharks from the commercial #BarramundiFishery is fundamentally flawed. There was no opportunity for the public to have their say in their #protection, despite the NT Government's assurance otherwise.
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