FROM the 1st July 2017 all commercial fishing operators and recreational fishers will require permission from Aboriginal land owners and the Northern Land Council (NLC) through the grant of a licence or permit to fish in tidal waters over Aboriginal land.
Aboriginal land is privately owned; it is not Crown land, nor public land and so permission must be obtained before going onto Aboriginal land, and this includes access to tidal waters over Aboriginal land, that is, access to the water and land between the low and high tide watermarks.
This is regardless of whether you hold a commercial fishing licence issued by the Northern Territory Government (recreational fishers don’t require a licence in the NT).
The “interim” (short-term) arrangement put in place in 2007 that allowed all recreational fishers and commercial operators access to tidal waters over Aboriginal land ended on 31st December 2016.
After almost 10 years, the interim arrangement between the NLC and the Northern Territory Government has not been renewed.
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