New rules forcing Northern Territory fishers into wilder waters put safety at risk, the industry says.

Barramundi river closures were introduced to ensure the sustainability of barramundi as a resource, and to support recreational fishing.

Changes have been made to protect fish in sensitive water across NT, which means the fishing community has to head further out.

Not only are the waters more dangerous, but the Barramundi Licensee Committee (BLC) says the new rules mean they cannot anchor in zones where they are not allowed to fish.

The BLC wants members to be allowed to anchor in calmer waters not to fish, but to process their catch onboard.

“We used to be able to anchor in river systems and both in and outside areas where it was legal to fish,” BLC chairman Peter Mundy has told the ABC.

“But now the laws are set up so you can't anchor in an area where you can't fish.

“So most of the rivers are closed and people are anchoring out at sea, and if they're doing that and it comes up rough, you've got dinghies smashing around, people trying to fillet fish with sharp knives while the boat is rolling around, and it's impossible to give duty-of-care to your crew, which is a legal requirement, so we're caught between a rock and a hard spot,” he said.

Mr Mundy says the safety of workers at sea is being put at risk.

“It's a ridiculous law, it's got to be changed, we want to give duty-of-care to our crews and we don't want them to have to work in shocking, unsafe conditions, and we're pushing the fisheries department to do something about it.”

The Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry has released a statement in response to the call from the BLC.

It says it has launched a “process’ to address the concerns through the Barramundi Fishery Management Advisory Committee (BFMAC).

BFMAC is made up of stakeholders including commercial fishers, recreational anglers, fishing tour guides, Land Councils, the Water Police, and the NT Environment Centre.

“The BFMAC will be meeting in May,” said the statement.

“Members recognise that there are some safety issues for commercial operators with the limited number of holding areas in the fishery. At the same time, compliance concerns from recreational fishers and traditional owners must also be considered.

“As noted by Mr Mundy [in the ABC interview], the introduction of vessel monitoring systems may provide an ideal opportunity to satisfy any compliance concerns while allowing industry to demonstrate clearly they are operating in accordance with the management provisions.

“A possible trial of some new holding areas with a complimentary level of compliance and enforcement is being considered at the next BFMAC meeting.”