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Fisheries

Fisheries works in partnership with commercial and recreational fishing industries, the aquaculture industry, Indigenous communities and other stakeholders to achieve optimum sustainable utilisation of the Northern Territory’s valuable aquatic resources. It follows a consultative and precautionary-based approach to ensure that all NT wild harvest fisheries, aquaculture and associated aquatic resources are ecologically, economically and socially sustained. Fisheries’ resource management programs are based on high quality scientific indicators and designed to ensure that the Territory’s aquatic resources are not over-exploited.

Our services to the aquatic resource sector

• Protecting and managing all aquatic resources, with particular emphasis on vulnerable fish stocks.
• Implementing innovative research programs to develop world-class fisheries technology and assessment techniques to monitor aquatic resources. 
• Allocating licences to assist in commercial catch, sale and processing of Territory fish and aquatic life.
• Providing programs that nurture industry growth and development in the commercial fishing, aquaculture and fishing tourism sectors.
• Monitoring to protect local fishing, aquaculture, tourism and marine-based industries from aquatic pest incursions.
• Operating a commercial barramundi hatchery and nursery business.
• Supplying barramundi fingerlings to assist commercial and recreational industry needs.
• Providing extensive R&D support to the recreational fishing sector.
• Liaising with coastal Indigenous communities and fostering consultation between them and industry on opportunities for joint-venture operations, particularly local aquaculture activities.
• Promoting recreational fishing and encouraging fishing tourism in the NT.
• Providing fishing infrastructure projects and access arrangements to enhance recreational fishing in the Territory.

	Recreational Fishing Controls A handy reference to the regulations for recreational fishing in the Northern Terrtiory		Fishery Report No.91 Assessment of the implications of target fishing on black jewfish aggregations in the NT
	NT Mud Crab Fishery: 2007 Stock Assessment		Fishery Report No. 87 Fishery Status Reports 2006