QDPI&F, 2003 and Henry and Lyle, 2003:

"Northern Australia Indigenous fishing survey (NAIFS)

Indigenous fishing effort

• The survey of indigenous fishing in northern Australia collected fishery statistics from 44 communities distributed across the top end of Australia from Broome to Cairns.
• Indigenous fishers in northern Australia expended an estimated 420 000 fisher days of effort during the survey year, representing 671 000 separate fishing events. Almost two thirds of the fishing effort (439 000 events) occurred in Northern Territory while Queensland and Western Australia reported 21 per cent (138 000 events) and 14 per cent (95 000 events) of the effort, respectively.
• Indigenous fishers harvested aquatic animals from a range of environments, but inshore waters (370 000 events) accounted for more than half the fishing effort. Fishing in freshwater rivers (127 000 events), coastal waters (104 000 events) and lakes and dams (61 000 events) followed in importance.
• Fishing effort in saltwater (483 000 events) was greater than fishing in freshwater (188 000 events) for indigenous fishers. Fishing from the shore (606 000 events) (90 per cent of total) dominated indigenous fishing.
• Indigenous fishers in northern Australia used line fishing methods (53 per cent), hand collecting (26 per cent), nets (12 per cent) and spears (9 per cent) as their primary fishing methods.

Indigenous fish catch

• Indigenous fishers harvested more than 3 million aquatic animals from the waters of northern Australia. The harvest included 900 000 finfish, 1.1 million shellfish, 660 000 prawns and yabbies and 180 000 crabs and lobsters.
• The most prominent finfish species/ groups (by number) in the indigenous catch were mullet (182 000 fish), catfish (109 000), perch/ snappers (84 000), bream (71 000) and barramundi (63 000).
• Northern Territory recorded the largest proportion (by number) of the total indigenous finfish catch (40 per cent of total) followed by Queensland (38 per cent) and West Australia (22 per cent).
• The most prominent non-fish species/ groups (by number) in the indigenous catch were mussels, macrobrachium/ cherabin, mud crabs, prawns and oysters.
• A relatively small proportion of the indigenous catch (1.7 per cent) was returned to the water.
• Indigenous fishers harvested a number of species groups that were out-of-scope or protected from non-indigenous fishers."

 

 

 

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Citation and/or URL

QDPI&F, 2003, The National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey

Henry, G. & Lyle, J.E. 2003, The National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey. FRDC Project 99/158, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra, Australia 

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Spatial Coverage

Full survey Australia-wide. Indigenous component surveyed from Cairns North across top-end to Broome

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Temporal Coverage

2000 - 2001 

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Update Frequency

 

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Other Information

Note:  text was taken from the QDPI&F Summary of this report - Table came from original report 

See also information on recreational fishing effort proxy here and here, estimated recreational fishing catch and the National Recreational Fishing Survey