Indigenous Fishing

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have lived along the Australian coastline for over 40 000 years. Many of the marine and freshwater species are totemic for the Top End Aboriginal people, and subsistence fishing continues to form an important part of their culture as well as a traditional source of protein.

Many NT coastal Aboriginal groups continue to practise customary management and education relating to the sea that has been passed on over generations through stories, dance, song, art and ceremony. Some Aboriginal groups elect families to act as sea managers while others allow people to act this role in their mothers' country while residing in their fathers' country. This usually means that Aboriginal people will only fish and hunt within their own country and would seek permission before fishing someone else's country. These are only some of the customary management practices that Aboriginal people use to ensure the sustainability of their resources.

Indigenous Fisheries - Moving Forward 2008 

Eighty five percent of the Northern Territory coastline is owned by Indigenous people, and another 13% is under claim. Indigenous people make up around 30% of the Territory's population, with about 80% of these living in remote or rural areas. It is estimated that around half of all Indigenous Territorians are unemployed. These figures show the Territory is vastly different to other Australian jurisdictions. [more]