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Daly River

  • Jul, 2021

    Malak Malak guide to fishing the Daly

    Prior to European settlement the Daly River area was an important traditional meeting place for Aboriginal people to trade and hold ceremonies. The river comprises a broad range of rich and diverse habitats supporting a vast array of species such as migratory birds, native marsupials, reptiles and fish which in turn provide abundant resources for Traditional custodians and local Aboriginal communities.

    The traditional owners of the middle reaches of the Daly River and the surrounding area are the Malak Malak people, some of whom live in Nauiyu and in the downstream community of Wooliana.

    The Malak Malak welcome recreational fishers to their country and have put together this great guide on how to get the most fishing out of the Daly River. Recreational fishers should respect and recognise the cultural importance of these waters to the Malak Malak people.

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  • Jul, 2021

    Jason reports from Daly River

    Jason from our team reports from the banks of the Daly River, where local members of the community are expressing their concerns about the health of the river.

    These communities rely on the river for culture, livelihoods and lifestyle – but they’re under threat from big business, who want to take huge amounts of water for large-scale operations like cotton. They don’t want to see what happened down south on the Murray Darling happen here.

    We need a different approach – one that works to keep our Territory rivers special. Let’s keep the Territory’s rivers flowing.

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  • Jun, 2021

    Video: Adrian on the Daly River

    Adrian Koenen from Wooliana Tourist Park on the Daly River explains why the river is so important to his livelihood, and the health of the surrounding landscape.

    Our rivers are the special places that make the Top End lifestyle happen. They’re where we fish, we boat, we relax and we enjoy the unique Territory experience. But our rivers are under threat from big business, who want to take huge amounts of water for large-scale operations like cotton. We don’t want to see what happened down south on the Murray Darling happen up here.

    We need a different approach – one that works to keep our Territory rivers special. Let’s keep the Territory’s rivers flowing.

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  • Jun, 2021

    Check out our ad in the NT News

    “I’ve watched the tourism industry along the Daly river really take off and expand to the bustling trade it is today. The Daly is one of the very few healthy rivers left in the Territory, but it certainly earns big dollars.”

    – Harold Sinclair, Daly River

    A healthy river system can provide for local communities, who bring in people from across the country to enjoy the special lifestyle that the Top End provides.

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  • Jun, 2021

    Territory Rivers – Keep ‘Em Flowing: communities launch movement to protect Top End rivers

    Local recreational fishers, tour operators and communities have come together with environmental organisations today to launch a campaign to protect iconic free-flowing rivers in the Northern Territory.

    “Territorians should be proud of our rivers. Where we live is special, these rivers haven’t been dammed, don’t have large volumes of water taken from them, and have catchments that are all or primarily still native bushland,” said Kirsty Howey, Co-Director of the Environment Centre NT.

    “While our rivers are mostly in good shape, they are under threat from big business who want to take huge amounts of water out – predominantly for cotton crops. Industry are pushing for a cotton processing facility near Katherine, huge increases in bulldozed land in the Douglas Daly and access to billions of litres more water from floodplains.”

    Harold Sinclair, from Sinclair’s Daly River Fishing Retreat, is concerned about the impact of reduced water flows on the nearby Daly River.

    “The NT Government needs to listen to people who live and work downstream on the river system. We only get one shot at getting this right and I’m worried that we’re steering towards a Murray-Darling disaster driven by the very same industry players,” he said.

    “These big cotton growers seem to assume that they can just take more water out of our river systems – more than our rivers can sustain, particularly in drier years. Taking huge volumes of extra water from the Douglas-Daly floodplains will be disastrous for the barramundi that bring locals and tourists alike flocking in. 

    “We need to listen to the experience and knowledge of those who know these rivers well, not more of the same from big cotton who are intent on rushing more irrigation to feed the proposed gin. Those of us whose lives and livelihoods depend on the river will be left to pick up the pieces,” said Mr Sinclair.

    Roxanne Woolley is a recreational fisher and educator from Humpty Doo, who is deeply worried about the future health of our Territory rivers.

    “The flows of these rivers are their lifeblood. Without the sustenance it provides to all living things – including the big Barramundi we all go out to catch – we’ve got nothing. We all bear a responsibility to nurture it for those of us here today and tomorrow.”

    “In planning for the future, we need to ensure that the river is not a victim of a narrow view of economic development that ignores the people, jobs and lifestyle that can continue to make this place special. There is no future for an economy that has no water to sustain it. Without healthy rivers we’re all left high and dry,” said Ms Woolley. 

    We’ve seen strong community voices from across the Top End speaking up – from Katherine, Nauiyu, Woolianna and Darwin – all of whom share concerns for the future health of the rivers that their communities rely on,” said Mitch Hart, NT Manager for the Pew Charitable Trusts.

    “These are recreational fishers, tourism operators, local food growers and community members who know how important our rivers are to what makes the Territory special.”

    “The Top End has a unique lifestyle worth protecting. Free flowing tropical rivers are extraordinarily rare and our rivers are internationally significant. They are home to a diverse range of freshwater species; healthy, well-functioning ecosystems and they support local businesses and lifestyle,” said Mr Hart.

    “Healthy rivers are central to our Territory way of life, our economic success and our culture. We need to all be working together to keep them as special as the rest of the Territory.”

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  • May, 2021

    Huge cotton expansion in Top End will result in wrecked rivers

    Conservationists, tourism operators and graziers have today issued a warning to Territorians not to let the cotton industry take hold in the Top End, after large-scale cotton growers revealed last week that they intend to expand a proposed cotton gin near Katherine to a much higher capacity than previously stated.

    “We know that the cotton industry wants to establish large-scale operations in the Northern Territory, which could result in more bushland bulldozed and more water extracted from already stretched systems,” said Jason Fowler, an ecologist working with the Environment Centre NT.

    “It should be sending off alarm bells in everyone’s head that the industry is ramping up pressure to build a massively oversized cotton gin at Tarwoo station near Katherine. On the one hand, they’re claiming that cotton operations will only be ‘dryland’ trials, yet admit it will still require ‘supplementary irrigation’.”

    “Last week at the Food Futures conference we heard the proposed gin will have the capacity to take up to 450,000 bales per year when fully operational. How much bulldozed land will be required to grow 450,000 bales of cotton a year? How much ‘supplementary irrigation’ will be needed and how many dams does that actually mean?” said Mr Fowler.

    Harold Sinclair, from Sinclair’s Daly River Fishing Retreat, is concerned about the impact of reduced water flows on the nearby Daly river.

    “The NT Government needs to listen to people who live and work downstream on the river system, like fishing guides, tourism operators, Aboriginal Rangers and local communities. We only get one shot at getting this right and I’m worried that we’re steering towards a Murray-Darling disaster driven by the very same industry players,” he said.

    “These big cotton growers seem to assume that they can just take more water out of our river systems – more than they can ever sustain, particularly in drier years. Taking huge volumes of extra water from the Douglas-Daly floodplains will be disastrous for the barramundi that bring locals and tourists alike flocking in. 

    “We need to listen to the experience and knowledge of those who know these rivers well, not more of the same from big cotton who are intent on steamrolling massive irrigation projects forward. Those of us whose lives and livelihoods depend on the river will be left to pick up the pieces,” said Mr Sinclair.

    Echoing these concerns is Rob McBride, a grazier from NSW who last month wrote to Chief Minister Gunner outlining his experiences along the Murray Darling and warning the NT Government to not make the same mistakes.

    “Do not risk the devastating impacts to fish stocks, the natural environment, local communities and existing agricultural industries on the false promises of Big Cotton,” said Mr McBride

    “It may be too late to save the mighty Murray-Darling system, but I urge your government to heed this warning and not allow the same thing to happen to the rivers of the Northern Territory,” he said.

    “Territorians know that cotton kills rivers and want to keep it out of the Top End. We’ve heard the warnings from Traditional Owners, graziers and people down south on the reality of how cotton devastates river systems, corrodes public trust and destroys communities,” said Mr Fowler.

    “We’re now seeing these same players come north, intent on taking more of our water and exerting political pressure on decision-makers to pave the way for their operations. What the Territory needs right now is sensible, sustainable strategies to build our future – not big in dustry players who have a history of wrecking river systems down south,” he concluded.

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  • Mar, 2021

    Territorians do not want this cotton gin

    The Environment Centre NT has responded with alarm to today’s announcement of industry plans to build a massive cotton gin at Tarwoo, just north of Katherine on the Stuart Highway.

    “People in the Top End have made it abundantly clear: we don’t want the cotton industry anywhere near our rivers until they’ve fixed up their Murray-Darling mess. Do these companies think they can ignore Territorians like this?” said Kirsty Howey, Co-Director of ECNT.

    In a uComms poll of Top End residents in February:

    • 69.4% of Territorians polled said that the cotton industry shouldn’t be allowed into the Territory until they fix up their mess in the Murray-Darling basin.
    • 60.8% of Territorians are opposed to the NT Government giving taxpayer funded subsidies to the cotton industry to establish operations in the NT.[1]

    “We need the Northern Territory Government to listen to Territorians – many of whom have grave concerns about what such a large expansion of the cotton industry would mean for our rivers, our fishing and our lifestyle.”

    “The big cotton companies need to stop their doublespeak. They’ve been asking for public money to build this gin for years. When they didn’t get it, they switched to asking for taxpayer money to build new power lines and roads on private property.”

    “That’s still public money going straight to a private company, to fund the most expensive part of building a damaging cotton gin and prop up their operations. Why should Territory taxpayers fork out our money to prop up big cotton companies when remote communities still lack basic drinking water protections and energy security?”

    “A cotton gin of this size would require large amounts of water, land and power. In full operation, a cotton gin like this would need at least 832,000 litres per day of water just to keep it running. Where is all that water coming from? How will that impact on local farmers and growers in Edith Farms and the Katherine region?”

    “We also remain deeply concerned about the electricity requirements of such a massive operation. Where will that power come from? Who in the Territory will miss out on power generation if the cotton companies get their millions in taxpayer handouts?”

    “Today’s announcement by industry flies in the face of community concerns and puts the future of Top End rivers at risk. Territorians know that cotton kills rivers. We don’t want to see the same mistakes from down South, happen up here.”

    [1] Polling commissioned by the Environment Centre NT and undertaken by uComms, who conducted a survey of 837 residents in the Northern Territory seats of Blain, Brennan, Casuarina, Daly, Drysdale, Fannie Bay, Fong Lim, Johnston, Karama, Katherine, Nightcliff, Port Darwin, Sanderson, Spillett, and Wanguri during the nights of the 10th & 11th February 2021.

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  • Mar, 2021

    No dams for cotton: Gunner needs to rule out floodplain extraction for cotton mates

    Environment Centre NT is calling on the Northern Territory Government to rule out a floodplain ‘dam rush’ to feed the proposed massive expansion of large scale agriculture driven by the proposed cotton gin at Tarwoo. 

    The NT Government is due to release a ‘Surface Water Harvesting Policy‘ regulating dams and water extraction that could pave the way for a rapid expansion of cotton in the Top End. 

    “Floodplain extraction means dams. Every dam that is built on the floodplain robs the rivers and aquifers of water,” said Kirsty Howey, Co-Director of ECNT.

    “Industry has been pushing to get its hands on 520 billion litres of water from the floodplains in the Douglas-Daly region, including the floodplains for the iconic Daly River. Our floodplains are vital parts of our unique Top End ecosystems.” 

    “It’s those big water flows on the floodplains that make our rivers work and flow healthily. Barra restocking relies on these big flushes every Wet season. Right now Territorians, visitors and local small businesses are gearing up for a huge run-off fishing season on the Daly.”

    “The large-scale cotton industry hopes that they can get their rush for Territory water approved as the innocuous-sounding ‘floodplain harvesting’, but it’s obvious – Big Cotton wants dams. That’s too big a risk to the Territory’s other growers, fishing guides and fishers.”

    “The cotton industry wanted free money to set up their cotton gin. When they didn’t get that, they stuck their hand out for free power lines and free roads, paid for by public money.”

    “The Gunner Government must rule out giving the cotton industry free water from dams on our precious floodplains, as well as rule out paying for their power lines and roads. The Territory’s rivers are too precious to lose,” concluded Dr Howey.

    Here are key questions that the Gunner Government’s floodplain extraction policy must answer:

    • What peer-reviewed studies and modelling has the Gunner Government obtained during the development of the draft policy, and will these be publicly released for scrutiny?
    • Who has the Gunner Government consulted about the floodplain harvesting policy so far? Any environmental groups or members of the public, or just their cotton mates?
    • How will the Government avoid double-dipping that would lead to over-extraction from our rivers? Surface water on our floodplains is what recharges our aquifers that many Territorians rely on for their drinking water and livelihoods, and that keep our environment healthy – especially in the Dry. If the cotton industry wants to take surface water from floodplains, then extract groundwater from the same system, how will the Government stop irreversible damage to these systems?
    • What measures will be put in place to ensure that any Surface Water Harvesting Policy that facilitates the extraction of water from floodplains will protect the health of rivers, fishing tourism businesses and biodiversity?
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  • Feb, 2021

    Cotton concerns for Top End water prominent for NT residents

    Recent polling has revealed that the threat posed by large-scale cotton operations remains a key concern for Northern Territory residents – particularly in relation to recreational fishing along iconic river systems.

    “Territorians have made it clear they have serious concerns about the threat posed by large-scale cotton projects in the Top End, which is shining through strongly in these new polling figures,” said Jason Fowler from the Environment Centre NT.

    • 69.4% of Territorians polled said that the cotton industry shouldn’t be allowed into the Territory until they fix up their mess in the Murray-Darling basin.
    • 60.8% of Territorians are opposed to the NT Government giving taxpayer funded subsidies to the cotton industry to establish operations in the NT.

    “It’s clear that Big Cotton industry plans are disconnected from community expectations of healthy rivers, fishing and lifestyle. We know that fishing is an important part of the Top End lifestyle, with 63% of respondents stating that they use rivers in the Top End for fishing, boating or other recreational activities.”

    “Territorians want a healthy future for our rivers, they care deeply about their health for water flows, fishing and are concerned about the industry push for large-scale cotton that would put iconic Territory rivers like the Daly at risk.”

    “The spectre of reduced water flows, large-scale devastation and mass fish kills along the Murray Darling is a very real concern for NT residents, with 69.4% of respondents concerned about large cotton companies being allowed into the Territory before they fix the problems they have caused in the Murray Darling,” said Mr Fowler.

    “We’re seeing continued industry calls for Territory residents to provide millions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies to prop up large agriculture proposals driven by cotton. It’s deeply concerning to see big business push for more water from floodplains, more land clearing and a widespread disregard for maintaining healthy river systems.”

    “We can’t let our iconic rivers like the Daly and Roper be degraded and destroyed as has happened to other rivers in southern Australia. It’s time for big business and government to start listening to Territorians and do more to look after the health of our rivers, lifestyle and the jobs that rely on their health now and into the future,” concluded Mr Fowler.

    Polling commissioned by the Environment Centre NT and undertaken by uComms, who conducted a survey of 837 residents in the Northern Territory seats of Blain, Brennan, Casuarina, Daly, Drysdale, Fannie Bay, Fong Lim, Johnston, Karama, Katherine, Nightcliff, Port Darwin, Sanderson, Spillett, and Wanguri during the nights of the 10th & 11th February 2021.

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