Aboriginal Rangers identify foreign fishing vessels in West Arnhem Land

In recent weeks, there have been reports of several foreign fishing vessels landing on Cobourg Peninsula and Croker Island consistent with a trending increase in boats in recent years.

On Friday, October 11, Garngi Rangers were working on fire management projects when they discovered four vessels hiding out in the remote mangrove creeks on the north-western edge of Croker Island.

This sighting followed reports from the Traditional Owners of the Cobourg Peninsula region that several vessels had been located, with accounts of as many as 30 people from these boats spotted walking along the coastline.

The NLC is concerned that the north-west Arnhem region is being targeted by illegal foreign fishing due to its abundant fisheries resources, its remoteness, and a lack of enforcement in the region.

Traditional Owners have expressed deep concerns of the impact of foreign fishing vessels threatening sustainable fisheries management as well as the potentially devastating biosecurity risks.

The Aboriginal Ranger groups have been the eyes and ears for the vast northern coastline for many years. The Rangers have had a crucial role to play in providing intelligence and support to the Australian Fisheries

Management Authority (AFMA) and Australian Border Force (ABF) to protect Australia’s coastline. 

The NLC and Rangers have partnered with biosecurity and fisheries management agencies over the past few decades to help protect Australia’s vast and remote coastline. This has been a successful partnership but the NLC believes more can be done and wants to partner with government agencies to extend and continue to strengthen our surveillance response. There is a need to step up effort to protect Australian coastline, which in the NT is 85% Aboriginal-owned land.

The biosecurity risks to Australia are significant. With Indonesian outbreaks of lumpy skin, and foot and mouth disease, incidences like this pose an incredible threat to local industries.

Our constituents are very worried about bird flu getting into magpie geese and wild duck populations which are a food source for remote communities. If these diseases were to enter Australia it would greatly impact livelihoods and cost the Australian economy billions of dollars.

Additionally, the risks to human health from increased foreign fishing vessels is concerning, with Monkey Pox, Tuberculosis and the potential for rabies real threats to our communities. 

A forfeiture and turnaround approach does not seem to be enough of a deterrent as vessels appear to be increasing in our region.

Ranger groups will continue to undertake regular monitoring of their coastlines, and provide reports to the relevant agencies, but are deeply concerned by the decline in practical support over the past few years.

The NLC is seeking stronger engagement and whole-of-government commitments to increase surveillance and to reinstate strong deterrents. Traditional Owners are dedicated to maintaining healthy Sea Country and sustainable fisheries (which foreign fishing vessels are targeting).

At a local level, the increase in vessels highlights the impacts of a significant decline in support for fisheries compliance and monitoring of Aboriginal-owned coastline.

The partnerships and support that were previously held with NT Water Police, NT Fisheries and Aboriginal Ranger groups contributed to ensuring these significant quarantine risks would not reach Australian shores.

The NLC encourages the current NT Government to reconsider its approach to the amount of on-ground support provided to coastal Aboriginal Ranger groups.

 Quotes attributed to NLC Chair Matthew Ryan:

“The NLC understands that illegal foreign fishers are coming to the Top End as a high risk, high reward opportunity, as their fishing grounds are often overfished.”

“Local Rangers and Traditional Owners have an incredible knowledge of Country and a strong understanding of entry and exit points – where they access freshwater and where they move with the tides to know where to prioritise patrol efforts to find illegal boats. Rangers’ reports of boats increasingly coming ashore on their Country in Arnhem Land is very concerning and needs to be addressed straight away.

 “Rangers and Traditional Owners carry out a really important service to help keep Australia’s northern coastline healthy and safe. A strong partnership with AFMA, ABF, NT Fisheries and NT Water Police is key, especially during this time of year when boat numbers increase.”