AFMA Project: "Targeted Indigenous Community Consultation in the Torres Strait: gaining an understanding of Indigenous communities' perceptions regarding boat and gear length in the Torres Strait Prawn Fishery" 2012 onwards. PI: Anthony de Fries (consultant). Project Description: To report on the views of Torres Strait Islanders living in the island communities adjacent to the main fishing grounds of the Torres Strait Prawn Fishery in relation to the following input controls which apply to prawn trawl vessels operating in the fishery: The 20 metre vessel length restriction; and The 88 metre net length restriction. Consultation will be undertaken in the following communities: Erub (Darnley) Island, Masig (Yorke) Island, Poruma (Coconut) Island and Ugar (Stephens) Island. The final report will be provided to the Torres Strait Scientific Advisory Committee.

26th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation Island of Crete, Greece, 3-8 April 2006. Oral Presentation. The Torres Strait and northern Queensland have the largest population of green turtles in the world. This population supplies a large, internationally-based green turtle harvest, which is currently not managed. In Queensland, successful management will need the involvement of the Indigenous Torres Strait Islanders who use green turtles for cultural, social and economic purposes. This project developed community-based strategies for green turtle catch-monitoring upon which communities could base management plans. I engaged two Torres Strait Island communities in a step-wise process: (1) I obtained support from the Torres Strait Regional Authority; (2) This support enabled me to engage Traditional Owners and Community Councils in each community; and (3) I involved turtle hunters through participatory workshops/meetings. Community members helped me design a datasheet to collect data about hunting behavior needed for co-management. Hunters completed the datasheet after each hunting trip. I assessed the project's success by evaluating the proportion of hunters in the community that participated and the quality of the information they provided. We have one year of data from two communities that actively participate in hunting. Ninety-two and 25% of hunters who signed up from Hammond and Thursday Islands, respectively, handed in datasheets consistently. On Thursday Island, a larger community with a broad social structure, it was more difficult to involve community members in catch-monitoring than on Hammond Island, where there is strong community support for the project. In this paper I discuss culturally appropriate aspects of hunting behavior and catch-monitoring statistics from these two communities. Acknowledgments: Acknowledging project support from: CRC Torres Strait, James Cook University, Department of Environment and Heritage, Ocean Parks Conservation Foundation, Hammond Island Council, TRAWQ Community Council, Kaurareg Traditional Aboriginal Elders Corporation, WNM Community Fisher Group and Prince of Wales Community Fisher Group; Acknowledging travel award support from: Sea Turtle Symposium, Disney Animal Kingdom, Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council, US National Marine Fisheries Service, and US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The project identifies a means for Torres Strait Islanders and Research Development and Extension (RD&E) providers to assess opportunities for greater collaborative efforts through the development of procedures and processes that encourage greater real involvement and engagement of Torres Strait Islanders in the RD&E process. 2011-2012. Project objectives were: 1. Assess the costs and benefits of Torres Strait Islander engagement in fisheries research, development and extension (RD&E); 2. Identify future RD&E benefits and opportunities for Torres Strait Islanders; 3. Development of a best practice model for supporting indigenous fee for service and employment opportunities in RD&E in the Torres Strait; and 4. Draft a basic business plan and pathways to implement the best practice model in the Torres Strait. Key outcomes listed in the final report were: * A means for Torres Strait Islanders and RD&E providers to identify opportunities for greater collaborative RD&E; * Research providers will benefit from the project as it has shown that, if the aim is greater involvement of Torres Strait Islanders in the RD&E process, there is a need to identify opportunities to develop and adjust procedures and processes that will encourage involvement; * Real involvement and engagement of the Torres Strait Islander community has the potential to enhance acceptance and adoption of findings which can lead to cost effective R&D and improved management arrangements in the region; * Many of the R&D opportunities that were the basis for this project have now been taken up by the TSRA LSMU and therefore opportunities for those outside of this system appear limited. * The TSRA LSMU does not have current capacity to undertake additional tasks focussing on fishing and seafood related R&D. This type of R&D generally falls outside of existing TSRA scope and currently funded LSMU roles/tasks. There would need to be arrangements made (legal and operational), and resourcing/funding opportunities identified, to build capacity and organisational structures, if the TSRA were to consider taking on such tasks as part of their day to day activities. * A possible (untested) concept/model for fee for service, outside of the TSRA LSMU arrangement, has been identified but it would appear cost ineffective at this stage. Draft a basic business plan and pathways to implement the best practice model in the Torres Strait.

This report is the outcome of a review of current approaches commissioned by the Torres Strait Scientific Advisory Committee (TSSAC) to provide guiding protocols for adoption by researchers when working in the Torres Strait. The report was produced by Professor N M Nakata and Ms V S Nakata.

This study examined the cultural acceptability of various management options for dugongs and green turtles at Hammond Island in Torres Strait. Elders and hunters participated in semi-structured interviews to examine their perceptions about various management options for dugongs and green turtles for their community.

Fishery Assessment Report (1994) on the Dugong Fishery in the Torres Strait. Compiled by H. Marsh and edited by the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery Stock Assessment Group, for AFMA: Marsh, H. (1995) The Torres Strait Dugong Fishery 1994, Fisheries Assessment Report, edited by the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery Stock Assessment Group. Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Canberra. 14pp.

Fishery Assessment Report on Dugong in the Torres Strait 1999. Compiled by H. Marsh and edited by the Torres Strait Fisheries Assessment Group, for AFMA: Marsh, H. (1999) Torres Strait Dugong 1998, Fisheries Assessment Report, edited by the Torres Strait Fisheries Assessment Group. Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Canberra.

Stock Assessment Report on Dugong in the Torres Strait 1994. Compiled by H. Marsh and edited by the Torres Strait Fisheries Assessment Group, for AFMA: Marsh, H. (1995) Torres Strait Dugong 1994, Stock Assessment Report, Torres Strait Fisheries Assessment Group. Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Canberra. 21pp.