Aboriginal people, their knowledge and perspectives are under-represented in native fish freshwater science and management. Consequently, First Nations knowledge and perspectives, including flow objectives, are a recognised gap in our understanding of native fish and aquatic ecology, and our practice as fisheries managers. Barriers are compounded by poor understanding of, and the complexity regarding, Aboriginal cultural knowledge systems and perspectives; and a lack of applied practice demonstrating how to pair Aboriginal knowledge, stories and perspectives and scientific and management practice.
We aimed to develop a culturally appropriate workshop methodology to explore and pair local cultural knowledge, experience, perspectives, and values with the Fish and Flows Framework; identify flow related cultural objectives for native fish maintenance, conservation, and recovery; and develop a Cultural Watering Study for a site of cultural significance to First Nations people which could be used by community for their own purposes.
We applied a Participatory Action Research framework, enrolling community members as paid research participants and co-designers. The group comprised Traditional Custodians, Elders, junior and senior people to ensure gender and age diversity. Project activities included independently facilitated face to face workshops with group discussion and men and women’s yarning circles, held on country and in spaces of value to community members. An Aboriginal Waterway Assessment was undertaken. Ethics approval from the Australian Institute Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) was secured before commencing.
A Cultural Watering Place Study co-authored with community members was published. This Study presents the Gomeroi Way, a cultural knowledge system that can be applied to Gomeroi Story to identify cultural aspirations and objectives. The Gomeroi Way articulates Gomeroi peoples’ cultural responsibility to Care for Country and how this connects to native fish and river management.
Further opportunities to explore cultural and scientific perspectives through Dhii relationships and hydrology, with questions led by Gomeroi people, have been identified. Additionally, work to define flow objectives in water management settings, and develop pathway projects to meet the long term cultural aspirations of Gomeroi people is ongoing.