The world of fishing can be dominated by men but in the top end the tide has turned. New data from the Northern Territory shows more women than men take part in recreational fishing and an all-women’s competition is drawing hundreds of anglers to the billabongs of the territory.
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00:00 The weather permits us to be outside a lot more than what's down south in the winter
00:07 months.
00:08 And, you know, the Northern Territories always had, I guess, active lifestyles.
00:13 I mean, I don't really know anyone up here that sort of spends a lot of time inside.
00:18 They are outside doing all different kinds of activities and fishing is obviously one
00:22 of those activities.
00:23 And we're very lucky that we have the environment up here that we can do that.
00:27 Yeah.
00:28 And you're quite a fan of it.
00:29 What about fishing and what sort of fishing do you like?
00:33 I much prefer barra fishing.
00:35 That's my preference.
00:36 I do go offshore with my husband, but that's not my first choice.
00:43 I would like to go out a lot more often than I do.
00:46 Running SWB is a handful and I also run another fishing event, which is a disabled fishing
00:53 day, which is earlier in the year.
00:54 So I do spend a lot of time organising and not as much time fishing.
01:00 Great name for your competition, by the way.
01:01 Now, how did this become such a big part of your life and to be involved with the Secret
01:05 Women's Business Barra Fishing?
01:07 Yeah, so I used to fish the event many years ago and I saw a real niche in myself and another
01:18 teammate.
01:19 We saw real opportunity, I guess, to develop the event, but also to really sort of put
01:27 our stamp on going out and doing fishing.
01:30 I took the event on solely back in 2016 and I've really made it what it needs to be, which
01:38 is basically an environment in which women can feel safe and feel confident and empowered
01:45 to be able to go out and handle a boat on their own.
01:49 Not all women can learn the same way in an environment where there might be some male
01:54 anglers.
01:55 So this provides them that opportunity to be able to learn those skills and mentor each
02:01 other.
02:02 Most of the women that fish SWB do communicate and keep in touch outside of the event and
02:10 a lot of them take each other fishing and learn tips and tricks.
02:13 So it's really become a community and I'm very proud of what's been achieved.
02:18 When it comes to competition time though, what's the tone?
02:20 Is it brutally competitive or it's a bit of a laugh or a bit of both?
02:25 It's a bit of both.
02:26 When you're on the water, it's definitely competitive.
02:28 But outside of being on the water, all the teams that are there for the social aspect
02:33 of fishing versus the more competitive aspect of fishing, there's definitely a lot of fun.
02:38 It's a weekend of a lot of laughs and a lot of camaraderie and that's ultimately what
02:45 we want and what we're chasing out on the water when we're out fishing, not just the
02:51 Barra and the Saratoga.
02:53 And I know people come from all over the place to take part.
02:56 There is a cap on numbers though for sustainability reasons and there is a wait list because of
03:00 that.
03:01 So obviously the demand is there.
03:02 Do you think this could be replicated elsewhere?
03:05 Look, it has the potential.
03:09 I think the Northern Territory already had a lot of female rectory shows prior to events
03:14 starting.
03:15 The competitions basically became a platform, I guess, for those women that wanted to take
03:24 it a bit further.
03:26 So there would need to be the events to begin with, I think, down in the southern states.
03:30 The weather is a really big factor in the southern states.
03:34 I mean, no one wants to go out in the middle of winter.
03:37 It's a bit cold out there, but I think it definitely can be done.
03:41 I have spoken to a few pivotal leaders down south in female wreck fishing who are looking
03:48 to broaden female anglers across Australia.
03:55 And Jo Starling from the Women's Recreational Fishing League, she has created a real gauntlet
04:02 which is for all states across Australia to be able to go out for women to be able to
04:07 go out and go fishing.
04:08 But it's also for men as well.
04:09 But it is sort of like an avenue to be able to start that process down south and get that
04:13 gender parity happening across Australia.
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