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North Western Region

Fact Sheet [PDF]

Description

Much of the employment within the fish industry is based on aquaculture activities around the fast growing areas of Broome and Exmouth, where a strong pearl-based aquaculture industry operates on a migratory basis from Broome.

Major commercial fisheries in the Region include: prawn trawl fisheries (Western Australia) mainly in the northern and southern parts of the Region; and a variety of tropical finfish (emperors, snappers and cods-Lethrinidae and Lutjanidae) fisheries utilising trawl, trap, line and net methods (Western Australia and Australian Government).

The total commercial fisheries production for the Region in 2002 was estimated at 6,700 t with a GVP of $40m.

 

Bathymetry, paleo river chanels, NW Region
(J. Larcombe, 2006)

Socio-economic characteristics

The North Western Region comprises three broad areas, which display considerable differences in terms of population composition and employment. These are the north eastern area of Broome to Derby, the central area from Roebourne to Port Hedland and the western area made up of Exmouth and Onslow.

The north east, characterised by employment in aquaculture and tourism, has a strong Indigenous presence exemplified by several distinct Indigenous coastal communities. Land access to inland settlements east of Derby may be affected by seasonal weather conditions. The central area is industrial in character, underpinned by employment in mining and agriculture. Here there are numerous small inland settlements and outposts which, although isolated, have loose community bonds formed by industrial heritage and a likeness of lifestyle. Typical of such areas, the population comprises many more males than females. The western area has a mixture of mining, tourism and fishing related activity and an older population.

Common to all three areas is a reliance on fly-in fly-out employment extending across mining and commercial fishing (pearling in particular) activities, a high degree of seasonality associated with employment and a fluctuating population due to labour force shifts in the mining industry and tourism.

Approximately 73,300 people live within the Region, largely in coastal urban centres. Almost 20% of the population is of Indigenous origin. While population growth within the Region has been at a level similar to the rest of coastal Australia, the areas of Broome and Derby have shown rapid population growth in the period 1996 to 2001.

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