The Northern Territory's only commercial sardine and squid fisherman is unlikely to catch them again, leading to a reliance on imported bait. The loss of the local fishery has significant implications for businesses and recreational fishers who depend on sustainably sourced bait.
Austop Fisheries was the only company in the Northern Territory catching commercial quantities of bait fish . The company's main vessel sank last year, and the NT has become reliant on bait from interstate or overseas.Austop is pushing for a permanent fishing licence to help it reinvest while the development of an official fishery is still being reviewed.
The Northern Territory's only commercial sardine and squid fisherman says he is unlikely to catch them again — meaning the NT will now need to import most of its bait. Some of the product was sold to local restaurants, but most of it got sold as bait to a wide range of businesses.The fisherman has since run into problems while trying to reinvest because he cannot get a permanent fishing licence from the NT government. 'There is no security for me because every year I need to fill in an application and they give me a bit of paper that says I'm allowed to go and catch more sardines for another year,' he said.Mr Spinella said not having long-term security had made it difficult to obtain finance and purchase new gear after losing the FV Angelina. 'I have a strong belief in the value of this low-scale, low-impact fishery, but I need long-term security,' he said. 'When we catch mackerel or shark we're working in secure fisheries, have a licence and an access right — but we have none of that with the sardines.'Mr Spinella's sardines, squid, and other small pelagic bait fish were used regularly by recreational fishers and NT businesses such as the Territory Wildlife Park, the Darwin Aquaculture Centre and Humpty Doo Barramundi. The Northern Territory is famous for its big barramundi, but local sardines are starting to win over menus.'The sardines are caught locally, which means there's less chance of bringing in disease when they feed their fish and animals. 'It's great for the recreational fishing industry too because they're using bait from this area, not from somewhere els
BUSINESS Bait Fish Fishery Collapse Northern Territory Imported Bait Sustainability
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