Editing Ashmore and Cartier Islands (section)

==Economy==
The area around the Ashmore and Cartier Islands has been a traditional fishing ground of Indonesian fishermen for centuries, and continues to be.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Polite |first1=Dysi |title=Traditional fishing rights: analysis of state practice |journal=Australian Journal of Maritime and Ocean Affairs |date=2013 |volume=5 |issue=3 |page=6}}</ref> In the 1850s, American whalers operated in the region.<ref name=DIRD/> Outside of fishing, the islands were historically used as sources of [[guano]], [[beche-de-mer]], [[trochus]] and [[tortoiseshell]].<ref name=sun/> Mining of phosphate deposits took place on Ashmore Island in the latter half of the 19th century.<ref name=DIRD/>

Petroleum extraction activities take place at the [[Jabiru oil field|Jabiru]] and [[Challis oil field]]s, which are adjacent to the Territory, and which are administered by the Northern Territory's Department of Mines and Energy on behalf of the Commonwealth.<ref name=DIRD/>