Daly River

The Daly River is widely regarded as the premier Barramundi sports fishing location in Australia.

Tourists flock from all over to try and catch one of the Daly’s legendary trophy sized Barramundi and explore one of the most beautiful and abundant rivers in Northern Australia. Our incredible natural asset has secured major international fishing tournaments year on year and attracts the best sports fishers from around the world. These events inject millions of dollars into the NT economy and significantly boost the Territory’s tourism brand.

In particular, the Daly River tourism industry has experienced huge growth and today supports jobs across a number of tourism resorts, seasonal fishing guides and a stream of recreational fishers. This thriving Daly River tourism industry relies on a healthy, intact ecosystem, the spoils of which our visitors and ourselves get to enjoy.

This success is built on healthy river flows. We know that looking after this flow is critically important – especially to ensure our future livelihood in tougher years. Scientific research has firmly established that a healthy Barramundi fishery relies on regular wet season floods, creating highly productive ecosystems. Barramundi spawn early in the wet season and a successful recruitment of baby Barramundi relies on access to floodplains and billabongs. The ‘run-off’ is when Barramundi must return to the main river channel, putting them within easy reach of a fishing lure. This is the crucial element that draws in tourists, families, fishers and a whole manner of people.

Stripping away the lifegiving floodplain flows will be disastrous for our healthy Barramundi stocks and the vibrant tourism industry that relies on them.