Who’s Listening? Islander Knowledge in Fisheries Management in Torres Strait, Northern Australia

This paper addresses the fisheries managementrelated knowledge of indigenous Islanders in Torres Strait, northern Australia. Islander knowledge will be situated both culturally and historically, before turning to the contemporary context of fisheries management and development. Islander fishermen have recently established dialogue with scientific fisheries managers; I argue that the success of this dialogue depends on recognition of various political and legal strategies deployed by Islanders to control the allocation and management of fisheries resources within their traditional marine territories.