I think ocean fisheries (both commercial and sport) account for more dead fish than gillnets in rivers, but gillnets strung up across your local crick sure does feel like a kick in the nuts; especially when the nets are in 4 or 5 days out of the week.

Truth be told, as much as I hate gillnets in rivers, I think our sport fishing would be a lot better overall if we handed over all commercial harvest to the Tribes. They are entitled to 50% of the harvestable fish, and they plan their fisheries accordingly. Under the status quo, if the NT commercial fleet takes its planned allocation and the runs come in below the forecast, the Tribes still fish to the same schedule/impacts, leaving the runs under-escaped. If the Tribes got to fish for 50% of all returning fish in terminal areas, the Tribes would be assured their treaty rights, and there would be a lot more fish left for in-river sports and the gravel.