Indigenous Fishing Subprogram: Improving the recognition and integration of traditional owner customary fishing and ecological knowledge in the management of Victoria’s fisheries
There is an information gap regarding understanding the nature and extent of customary fishing activities across Victoria.
An improved understanding of traditional fishing practices will help promote an understanding of customary fishing among commercial and recreational fishing sectors.
A better understanding of traditional fishing practices will inform governement agencies of ways to improve participation by traditional owners in the ongoing management of fisheries across the fishing sectors.
Recording of information will support the knowledge transfer within traditional owner groups (from one generation to the next) and language retention relating to fisheries resources on traditional owner Country.
The need for work in this area is identified in a number of strategic projects, namely:
• as a VicFRAB priority to be considered in the FRDC 2014 competitive funding round.
• as part of the FRDC Indigenous Reference Group 11 Key priorities.
• within the Victorian Aboriginal Fishing Strategy strategic priorities.
• in State-wide and cross jurisdictional initiatives (e.g. DEPI’s Aboriginal Inclusion Plan).
• identified as a knowledge gap in the FRDC Research Audit of Social Sciences Fisheries Research
• in the Department of Environment and Primary Industries Aboriginal Inclusion Plan
Final report
With growing recognition of Traditional Owner groups across Victoria as native title claims are being resolved. There is a strong interest from within Victorian Traditional Owner community to actively participate in the management of Victoria’s fisheries. However, despite these strongly held aspirations by Aboriginal Victorians there are only a small number of Aboriginal people involved in Victoria’s prosperous fishing industries. This project was undertaken to increase the involvement of Indigenous people in the management of Victoria’s fisheries resources and to address the information gap regarding understanding the nature and extent of customary fishing activities across Vicotria. The key findings include, various customary fishing practice have been acknowledged, documented and shared; Government agencies, recreational and commercial fishing groups have been presented with findings from this project and now have an improved understanding of customary fishing; Connections and trust have begun to develop between VFA and Traditional owner groups; A strategy for effective engagement between Fisheries Victoria and Aboriginal Victorians has been developed by the project team. This project has shown that future RD&E projects with a particular focus on customary fisheries could provide mutual benefits and positive outcomes for eco-cultural tourism, recreation fishing and restoration of fish habitats on-Country.
