Exploring Cultural Constructs: the Case of Sea Mullet Management in Moreton Bay, South East Queensland, Australia

Incorporating indigenous knowledge into fisheries management is becoming increasingly important in the derivation of alternative management solutions. It also satisfies the political demands of indigenous communities to exercise their rights and responsibilities to traditional resources and their management. Using a methodology that considers perceptions or constructs of the environment to be dependent on the social and cultural structures in which they operate, we compare indigenous and government management of sea mullet in Moreton Bay, Australia. Our investigation focuses specifically on the landscape and seascape constructs of the Queensland Fisheries Service (QFS) and the traditional Aboriginal community of Moreton Bay – the people of Quandamooka. Results from the case study indicate that while both management parties aspire to achieve ecologically sustainable development, a divergence between the constructs of the QFS and the Quandamooka community for sea mullet management is evident. Current QFS approaches reflect ‘scientific truth’ and economically-dominated strategies whilst the Quandamooka community approach represents constructivist and holistic ecosystems-based strategies. The research highlights the need for more collaborative and inclusive fisheries management approaches that move beyond viewing the Quandamooka community as just another stakeholder. We argue that the QFS needs to recognize the relationship between the Quandamooka community and the Bay in order to value indigenous knowledge of the Bay and its resources. Furthermore, it is critical for the QFS to move beyond economic and species-specific dominated strategies towards ecosystem and adaptive management strategies to include indigenous knowledge and to achieve ecologically sustainable development.