The Lawler Labor Government continues to invest in improving recreational fishing access, infrastructure and experiences in the Top End, with a $3.8 million funding injection through the Territory Government’s $50 million RecFishing Futures Program.
To expand the inshore artificial reef network in the Top End, $2 million will be invested into creating new artificial reef and fish aggregating device network in the Darwin region.
The new artificial reef will create new habitat and will be supported by a comprehensive and long term monitoring program to better understand populations of key recreational fish species.
This complements the existing artificial reefs located in Fenton Patches, Darwin Harbour, Dundee, Adelaide River Mouth, North Gutter and Lee Point.
The Lawler Government is also investing $600,000 to continue the annual NT fish stocking program with over 115,000 Barramundi released in 2024 into dams and lakes where natural breeding doesn’t occur including Manton Dam, Palmerston Lakes, Rum Jungle and McMinns Lagoon.
By stocking some of our freshwater reservoirs every year we are keeping the Territory a must-visit destination for anglers and improving the liveability for locals by providing increased land based recreational fishing opportunities.
To boost access to inclusive recreational fishing experiences a further $900,000 will be invested towards constructing all-abilities access platforms at Dinah Beach, Shady Camp and Corroboree Billabong boat ramps. This is a key action of the NT Recreational Fishing Development Plan and will help people with mobility challenges to access some of the best fishing the NT has to offer.
The NT Recreational Fishing Grant Scheme, which has been running since 2017, has also received a boost with a $300,000 injection to support the continuation of the scheme.
To find out more about recreational fishing visit nt.gov.au/marine/recreational-fishing
“Recreational fishing is a huge part of the Territory lifestyle and that is why we are boosting fishing infrastructure and experiences in the Territory by $3.8 million.
“The Territory Government is committed to achieving successful long term recreational fishing access outcomes for everyone.
“The Lawler Labor Government will continue to keep improving recreational fishing activities and experiences for locals and visitors, which is why we are upgrading our recreational fishing infrastructure and extending the Recreational Fishing Grant Scheme.”
“We welcome the announcement of these key investments into recreational fishing.
“The NT has the highest fishing participation rate in the country but there is an established need to make fishing more accessible to more people, and that’s why the building of passenger loading platforms at Dinah Beach, Shady Camp and Corroboree Billabong is great news for our community.
“Purpose designed artificial reef habitats create great fishing opportunities and when built at scale they can enhance productivity, so we are pleased to see the continued roll out of modern artificial reef habitat around Darwin.”