Latest news with #GulfOfCarpentaria
ABC News
07-08-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Fishing fleets stay docked as tiger prawn season opens in Gulf of Carpentaria
For the first time in decades, parts of the northern prawn fishing fleet have stayed docked at the start of the tiger prawn season. The season started on August 1, but Austral Fisheries general manager Andy Prendergast said it was the first time in nearly 60 years that some boats had not sailed. "It's cheaper to not go than it is to go," he said. "Our product's [sales price] has gone down by about 30 per cent, and our costs have gone through the roof. With 11 boats trawling through the Gulf of Carpentaria, Austral is the second-largest operator in the Northern Prawn Fishery, which has been open since the late 1960s. But Mr Prendergast said only 45 of the 52 boats in the fleet ventured out over the weekend, with several choosing to stay docked due to mounting economic pressure. "Hopefully the industry can resolve these issues over time, but we're in a bit of a tough space at the moment," he said. The past four years have been particularly tough for the wild-caught prawn industry, with pandemic-driven inflation pushing costs up and profits down. Additionally, he said wild-caught prawns had to compete with cheaper products provided by a growing aquaculture industry. "We're being displaced in all those shop windows by aquaculture products that are easier to get access to all year round." He said retail prices for some prawns were as low as $15 a kilogram. "That would match our cost of production, [but] the supermarkets have to make some money to sell this stuff, so we're selling them under our cost of production," he said. He said the volatility in the wild catch could also lead to supply fluctuations, which made it challenging to provide consistency for consumers. "We need Australian consumers to understand the amount of effort and passion we bring to bringing them fresh, wild-caught seafood that's sustainable," he said. This tiger prawn season is coming off the back of the worst banana prawn catch in 24 years, according to Phil Robson, the Northern Fishing Fleet Manager at A Raptis & Sons. "The banana prawn season was a horror," he said. "We end up with about a 45-tonne average, but generally I budget 100 tonnes per boat for the banana season, which is what we need to make in any given year to make money. "Obviously, we didn't get near that this year." The largest operator in the fishery, with 14 boats, Mr Robson said the late monsoon impacted the size and number of banana prawns. "[The timing of the monsoon] is critically important," he said. "Prawns are generally in close [to shore] and they need to be washed out to deeper water with the onset of the monsoon season and the rainfall [to mature]. Banana prawns typically settle in rivers and are flushed into the Gulf of Carpentaria with the first downpour of the year, enabling the fishing season to open through autumn into June. Despite the disappointing year for banana prawns, Mr Robson said that because of high volumes last year, there was still an oversupply in the retail market. "2023 was big, it was the biggest year we've had in the last five years," he said. "That created pretty well double what the market could absorb." But like Mr Prendergast, he was hoping for a stronger tiger prawn season to make up for some of the losses felt earlier this year.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- The Guardian
Woman speared in head airlifted to hospital as NT police search for alleged attacker
A woman with a spear embedded in her head has been airlifted to hospital from a remote Northern Territory community, with police searching for her alleged attacker. On Sunday police received a report alleging that an 18-year-old woman had been stabbed in the head by a male known to her at Angurugu on the west coast of Groote Eylandt, an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. 'Police and local clinic staff attended and located the victim conscious, with the spear still embedded,' police said in a statement. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The woman was airlifted to Royal Darwin hospital in a serious but stable condition. Police have appealed to the public for information on the domestic violence incident, with the alleged offender still not located.
ABC News
21-07-2025
- ABC News
NT woman speared in head in alleged domestic violence attack in remote community
An 18-year-old woman has been speared in the head in an alleged domestic violence incident in a remote Northern Territory community. Emergency services received a report about midday Sunday that the young woman had been speared in the head by a man known to her in Angurugu, a community on Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria. NT police said officers and local clinic staff found the victim conscious with the spear still in her head. "The victim has since been conveyed to Royal Darwin Hospital via Care Flight in a serious but stable condition," a police spokesperson said. Police said they were still looking for the alleged offender, and that investigations were continuing. Police urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers or 131 444.
ABC News
09-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Good weather leads to bountiful Spanish mackerel in Gulf of Carpentaria
After two years of disappointing catches, a bountiful Spanish mackerel season is underway in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and fishermen say it is good news for consumers. Fishers have struggled through two consecutive years of natural disasters, reducing the numbers of the popular fish. "It'll be a good one finally, particularly after a couple of years of floods in the Gulf," seafood retailer and commercial fisherman Andrew Tobin said. The good news for consumers, Mr Tobin said, was that prices would be stable, making the fish an affordable choice for local seafood lovers. "What you've been paying at the fish and chip shop or down at your local cafe or restaurant is unlikely to change much in the mackerel space," he said. Trawling the waters off the outback epicentre of fishing, Karumba, 400 kilometres north of Mount Isa, Mr Tobin said the quality of the fish this year was also good. "We operate in quite an isolated area, so the boats are very well equipped for looking after the fish really well," he said. "Processed on board, snap frozen to lock in that beautiful freshness that comes with wild-caught mackerel." Unlike on the east coast, Spanish mackerel fishers in the Gulf are not limited by catch quotas, but there are spawning closures that restrict when they can fish. Queensland Seafood Industry Association president Allan Bobbermen said losing access to the fishery for two to three weeks at the peak of the season did impact profitability, but he remained optimistic about the current season. "The evidence is there pointing towards an abundance of fish," he said. While the east coast fishery was popular, Mr Bobbermen said this season many operators chose to go to the Gulf instead. "We've had floods along the east coast of Queensland, unusual rainfalls, and I think that has changed the breeding habits of the fish," he said. Mr Bobbermen said even as the cost of living and comparative price of seafood squeezed consumer budgets, Spanish mackerel remained a favourite. "There's never any buyer resistance to wild-caught Spanish mackerel," he said. Karumba charter business owner Jemma Probert said the late wet season might keep the mackerel season going for longer than usual. "Barramundi held on a lot longer because we had that really late wet, which meant that your Spanish mackerel is late," she said. The season officially started for commercial fishers last week, but recreational fishers often see young mackerel in the Gulf as early as May. Ms Probert said she had already reeled in some cracker catches, and there were blue skies ahead for the season. "It will be a popular season."
ABC News
24-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Station worker's 'remarkable' recovery from rare Murray Valley encephalitis
A young station worker who contracted a rare mosquito-borne virus while working in outback Queensland is making a remarkable recovery after a four-month battle for survival. Isaac Pearce spent 126 days in intensive care after becoming infected with Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) while working near Normanton, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, early this year. The 25-year-old walked out of the Townsville University Hospital ICU last week, and will continue his rehabilitation at Rockhampton Hospital. Mr Pearce is one of just three people in Queensland to be infected with the deadly disease in the past five years, Queensland health figures show. Mr Pearce's mother, Mel Jones, said her son had to learn to walk again. "His stomach stopped working, he couldn't swallow, and it's messed with his heart," she said. Mr Pearce was found unconscious after complaining of a headache while working at a cattle station. He was flown to Townsville Hospital on February 14 , with swelling and inflammation of the brain, and placed on life support. Mr Pearce thanked the medical staff who helped him pull through. "It was pretty rough and even though I was a bit mean sometimes, people still cared," he said. Townsville Hospital and Health Service ICU clinical director Siva Senthuran described the recovery as "remarkable". Infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist Professor Paul Griffin said MVE was one of a number of mosquito-borne viruses that could, in rare cares, cause inflammation of the brain. Professor Griffin said mortality rates could be up to 20 per cent, and noted experts were concerned about a rise in mosquito-borne diseases, as the climate changed. "There can be lasting consequences, including not returning to the same level of brain function afterwards or even not surviving that infection," he said. "It's a timely reminder to take steps to prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes where we see activity of this virus." Dr Senthuran said while it would take months for Mr Pearce to recover, he was progressing faster than expected. Mr Pearce said his transfer to Rockhampton Hospital would mean he could continue his recovery closer to his home and family in Gladstone.
