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Prehistoric fish traps the focus of cross-cultural project

April 11, 2006

FishTp.thumb.jpgAboriginal fish traps made of stone and thought to be more than 1,000 years old are coming back into use on the Arrawarra Headland near Coffs Harbour.

The resumption of traditional harvesting from the ocean is being monitored as part of a unique, cross-cultural educational project that combines Aboriginal fishing traditions and modern ecological research.

Coordinated by The University of New England's Associate Professor Stephen Smith and funded by the NSW Government's Environmental Trust, the three-year project aims to work with the Garby Elders of the north-east Gumbaynggirr people to inform a wider public about traditional Aboriginal fishing practices, while training Aboriginal participants to monitor those practices scientifically. The Garby Elders are celebrating this acknowledgement of their traditional ties to the area.

Dr Smith, who is stationed at the National Marine Science Centre, Coffs Harbour, explained that the Garby Elders and members of the Yarrawarra Aboriginal Corporation had lost their traditional marine harvesting rights with the declaration of the Solitary Islands Marine Reserve in 1991. He said that the Elders and the local Aboriginal community had found it difficult to understand why they were denied traditional rights while scientists could take marine organisms for research purposes. "This project is marrying the interests of the two groups - Aboriginal and scientific," he said. "It's a fantastic cross-cultural exercise."

Knowledgeable members of the Garby Elders and Yarrawarra will use the ancient fish traps to catch fish such as bream. In addition, molluscs such as turban shell and other marine organisms will be harvested from adjacent areas of the headland. At the same time, local Aboriginal trainees will learn how to use modern scientific methods to assess the sustainability of their harvesting practices.

"In fact, the local people lived sustainably for thousands of years," Dr Smith said. "To help them do so, they had a 'bush calendar' that told them at what time of year to harvest each particular marine organism. We want to document that 'calendar' when it is put into practice here. We also want to test, scientifically, traditional knowledge such as the ability to tell whether a sea creature is healthy or not."

"The local Elders want to gather all this information so they can pass it down to their children," Dr Smith said. "In addition, they want to see Indigenous and non-Indigenous children sitting down together to learn about it. They're very happy to share much of this information with the non-Indigenous community."

Throughout the planning of the project, the scientific and Aboriginal communities have been working closely with the NSW Marine Parks Authority. The project team includes Tony Perkins (General Manager of the Yarrawarra Aboriginal Corporation and spokesperson for the Garby Elders), Milton Duroux (Aboriginal Sites Officer for the Yarrawarra Aboriginal Corporation), Ricky Cain (Aboriginal Sites and Vegetation Officer for the Yarrawarra Aboriginal Corporation), Libby Sterling (previous Manager of the Solitary Islands Marine Park), Nicola Johnstone (Acting Manager of the Marine Park), Russell Glover (Regional National Resource Management Facilitator for the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority), and Darren Murray (Catchment Officer, Aboriginal Projects, for the Catchment Management Authority).

The project will see the production of educational fact sheets for classrooms, Web sites, and filmed documentaries. "It's a breath of fresh air," Dr Smith said, "to work with a group of people who are passionate about - and in tune with - the environment."

The photograph displayed here shows some of the project team - Dr Smith (left), Adam Davey (centre) and Ricky Cain - measuring turban shells at Arrawarra Headland. Turban shells are one of the species that will be targeted with the resumption of traditional harvesting at the headland.


Media contact: Associate Professor Stephen Smith, UNE, National Marine Science Centre on (02) 6648 3900 or 0408 435 752.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at April 11, 2006 04:18 PM