The Northern Land Council (NLC) is calling for the government to take stronger action in detecting and deterring illegal foreign fishing, following the recent discovery of multiple vessels off the West Arnhem coast.
Garngi Rangers found one such vessel on Sunday off the north-western side of Croker Island.
Several shark carcasses were also found washed ashore the eastern side of the island with their tails and fins removed.
It is the latest incident in what the NLC has flagged is an increasing problem, following the detection by Bawinanga Rangers of another vessel at Maningrida last month.
“The Territory’s West Arnhem coastline is being targeted by illegal fishermen because it’s so close to Indonesia, and there has been a distinct spike in boat numbers," said NLC Chair Matthew Ryan.
“These foreign fishing crews have been camping on Aboriginal land and people in our communities are worried because they know the fishermen have a lot to lose and they don’t know how far they’ll go to protect their stolen stock."
Locals at an outstation south Warruwi reported instances of theft by a foreign fishing crew last week, stealing petrol and oil.
The crew of the vessel discovered hidden amongst the mangroves at Maningrida were found swimming and wandering along the beach.
The NLC said the vigilance of their rangers had led to the detection of the illegal activity, but that both the federal and territory governments had to take stronger action.
“Illegal fishing needs to be addressed urgently, and the NLC believes offenders should receive the toughest-possible penalties to deter this activity, which places our land and sea at great risk," said Mr Ryan, a Barabarra Wurrpann Gurindiji man.
"It’s not good enough to simply tell these people to leave Australian waters, we need a much stronger approach to stop them stealing our resources.
"Crew members of each and every illegal fishing vessel should be prosecuted."
