North Coast Nearshore and Estuarine Fishery

The Kimberley Gillnet and Barramundi Fishery (KGBF) operates in the nearshore and estuarine zones of the North Coast Bioregion from the WA/NT border (129ºE) to the northern end of Eighty Mile Beach, south of Broome (19ºS).

The KGBF allows gillnets to take any fish in inshore waters and barramundi to be taken by any means. The other predominate species taken by the fishery are king threadfin (Polydactylus macrochir) and blue threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum).

The fishery covers the river systems and tidal creek systems of the Cambridge Gulf, the Ria coast of the northern Kimberley, King Sound, Roebuck Bay and the northern end of Eighty Mile Beach to 19ºS.

The KGBF is managed primarily through input controls in the form of limited entry, seasonal and spatial area closures and gear restrictions. Access in limited to five licences, following the buyout of the two licences from the Broome coast (Roebuck Bay) in 2013.

Fishing is prohibited during the closed season, which in the southern KGBF (west of Cunningham Point, 123º08.23 ́ E longitude) extends from 1 December to 31 January the following year and in the northern KGBF (east of Cunningham Point) the closure extends from 1 November to 31 January the following year.

During 2013, six vessels fished in the KGBF employing about 16 fishers and generating additional jobs through local processors and distribution networks.

The fishery provides fresh fish for the local communities and the tourism industry throughout the Kimberley region.

Key Species Fished