Keep Top End Coasts Healthy

29/10/2026

979 barramundi in three days. 241 of them over a metre. A 124cm monster took out the top spot at this year’s Garmin Fitzroy River Barra Bash in Rockhampton.

Eleven years ago, Queensland removed commercial gillnets from the Fitzroy River. Today, anglers are pulling in monster barra, and Rockhampton calls itself the Home of the Big Barra.

That’s what happens when we give our wildlife a chance. More fish, more families on the water, more visitors and more local jobs.

The Territory can have this too. Let's get on with the NT gillnet closure - our first net free day is scheduled to be 1 October 2027. 𝗗𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴?

We commend the NT Government for committing to the gillnet ban, and we’re calling on Minister Gerard Maley MLA: Member for Nelson to ensure its delivered for our Top End lifestyle, fishing, wildlife and tourism economy.

25/10/2026

♻️ 107 million containers recycled! That's great news for our Top End coasts! 🌊

A big shout-out to Territorians and Environment Minister Joshua Burgoyne MLA following the latest Container Deposit Scheme results.

👏 More than 107 million drink containers returned in just one year, a whopping 92% return rate, with over 5,100 tonnes of materials recycled and $10.7 million back in Territorians' pockets!

That's fewer bottles and cans littering our streets, washing down our drains and ending up in our beautiful creeks, beaches and seas.

But plastic pollution goes well beyond drink containers. Too much unnecessary single-use plastic still ends up in our environment, threatening the marine life and coastal lifestyle we love.

💚 Let's build on this success by further reducing unnecessary plastics and keeping more rubbish out of our waterways.

Every bit of plastic we prevent from entering our environment is a win for our Top End coasts!

22/10/2026

🌊 Mega data centres: What could they mean for our waterways and Darwin Harbour?

The Environment Centre NT is hosting a community information night about the proposed gas-powered mega data centre on Finn Road, near Berry Springs.

📅 Tuesday 27 October, 6pm
📍 Palmerston Game Fishing Club

Hear from experts and community members about the proposal and its potential impacts on local water resources, the Blackmore River, Darwin Harbour and surrounding communities.

💧 Healthy rivers and coasts are central to our Top End lifestyle, fishing and local economy. It's important to understand how proposed major developments could affect these precious natural assets.

👉 Find out more about ECNT's event:

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners, the Larrakia people, on whose land we meet, live, and work. We pay our respects to their elders past, present, and emerging. We acknowledge Australia’s First Nations were self-governing in accordance with their traditional laws and customs, and they never ced...

16/10/2026

This juvenile freshwater sawfish was found on the East Alligator River in Kakadu National Park, showing teeth marks from a crocodile attack.

Before reaching adult size at 6-7meters, freshwater sawfish face natural threats like crocodiles. Human pressures from commercial fishing, water extraction for industry, and a warming climate compound the impact of natural threats. For an endangered species, every baby sawfish matters.

Thank you to Kakadu ecologists Kjell Hensen and Tess Ponyer for capturing and sharing this footage. If you see a sawfish you can log you sighting on this page: www.cytags.com

12/10/2026

If you have fished the Daly, you have fished a sawfish nursery.

Young freshwater sawfish spend years growing up in Top End rivers before they head out to sea. As the rivers drop, some get stranded in shrinking billabongs, and for more than a decade the Malak Malak Rangers have been carrying them back to the main channel by hand.

Now those same Rangers and a team of scientists have mapped the microbes living on a sawfish's skin, a world first. That layer works like an invisible shield. Swab it, and you can tell whether a sawfish is stressed or unhealthy before it even looks sick. The swab is non-invasive, so the fish swims off unharmed. That gives us an early warning system, and for an endangered fish, early counts for everything.

The Rangers did this work alongside Charles Darwin University, Flinders University and the Australian Marine Conservation Society.

Understanding a sawfish's own defences helps us protect it from habitat loss, pollution and a changing climate. And the Daly is a barra river as much as it is a sawfish river. Healthy rivers hold up Territory fishing. Let’s protect sawfish from gillnets and keep our rivers flowing so the next generation of Territory kids gets the chance to see one.

Link to research in the comments.

04/10/2026

🎣 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀! 🎬

Join the Palmerston Game Fishing Club at Deckchair Cinema on Sunday 11 October for a special fundraising screening of 𝘽𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜.

It's a great excuse to round up a few mates, enjoy a movie by the Harbour and get behind a local club that's an integral part of our Top End fishing community.

We're proud to support the Palmerston Game Fishing Club and everyone dedicated to protecting our fishing lifestyle, now and for future generations.

📅 Sunday 11 October. Doors 5:30pm for dinner and drinks. Film 7pm

📍 Deckchair Cinema, Darwin

🎟️ Grab your tickets and come along!
https://www.deckchaircinema.com/movie/burn-after-reading

04/10/2026

🌿 On 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟭 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿, Friends of Casuarina Coastal Reserve are hosting the 2026 Discovery Walks - giving locals the chance to discover incredible birdlife, mangroves, geology and natural beauty. 🐦🌊

A big shout-out to the Friends of Casuarina Coastal Reserve for bringing our community together to celebrate one of Darwin’s most treasured coastal places! 💚

📅 Sunday 11 October, 8–11 am

📍 Picnic area at the southern end of Casuarina Coastal Reserve

🔗 Book your spot here:

Join one of our six Discovery Walks in the Casuarina Coastal Reserve!

30/09/2026

The Limmen Bight Marine Park is expanding, and it's thanks to Territorians like you!

Join us for a casual drink by the water to raise a glass, meet the team, and be first to hear where we're heading next. Snacks and first round on us from 𝟱.𝟯𝟬𝗽𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟴 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗸𝗶 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯.

The extension adds 185 km2 of protection to one of the most alive stretches of coast in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Seagrass meadows that feed dugongs, turtles and prawns. Barramundi and mud crab country. The kind of fishing and wildlife place that makes the Top End what it is.

Together, Territorians have already helped protect Limmen Bight and secure a commitment to phase out commercial gill netting. There is more good work ahead - be first to hear where Keep Top End Coasts Healthy is heading next. Friends and family are welcome.

29/09/2026

𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 - 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀!

The expansion adds 185km2 to the marine park, protecting vital dugong, turtle, prawn and fish habitats. The park now runs from the mouth of the Roper River south to Rosie Creek. Managed by the Marra people for millennia, this remarkable stretch of coast is where healthy seagrass meadows, reefs and mangroves support barramundi and mud crab, and where dugongs, dolphins and turtles still thrive. It is one of the Top End’s great fishing and wildlife places.

𝗧𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻, 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮, 𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆 - 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂!

Now let's get on with the job and make sure the marine park is well-funded and well-managed, so it can protect the fishing, marine life and culture in this special part of the Territory coast for years to come.

We congratulate the NT Government for listening to the community. Thank you the Minister for Tourism and Parks Marie-Clare Boothby MLA and to Bill Yan MLA - Member for Namatjira

Start planning your trip to Limmen Bight Marine Park! 🎣🦀🐬

18/09/2026

Join MasterBait's Blue Hearts and the Keep Top End Coasts Healthy crew 9am this Sunday to clean up the Nightcliff coastline! Every bit counts—keeping plastic out of our oceans means keeping it away from marine life. Let’s protect our wildlife together. 🐢💙