Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins

Transcription

1 Project Report Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins Developing a decision process based on expert knowledge to inform the management of dugongs and coastal dolphins in Northern Australia: The Yanyuwa sea country in the Northern Territory as a case study Helene Marsh 1, John Bradley 2, Guido Parra 3, Alana Grech 1, Scott Whiting 4, Isabel Beasley 1, Steve Johnson 5, David Barrett 5, Nicholas Fitzpatrick 5, Graham Friday 5, Anthony Johnston 5, Fiona Keighran 5, Ronnie Miller 5, Leanne Norman 5, Leonard Norman 5, Damien Pracy 5, and the Yanyuwa families 1 School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA Northern Territory Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport, Darwin, NT li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers, Mabunji Resource Association, Borroloola, NT 0854

2 Copyright James Cook University ISBN Marsh, H., Bradley, J., Parra, G.J., Grech, A., Whiting, S., Beasley, I., Johnson, S., Barrett, D., Fitzpatrick, N., Friday, G., Johnston, A., Keighran, F., Miller, R., Norman, Laura, Norman, Leonard, Pracy, D., and the Yanyuwa families (2010) Yarrbanthawu ki- Miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins. Developing a decision process based on expert knowledge to inform the management of dugongs and coastal dolphins in northern Australia: The Yanyuwa sea country in the Northern Territory as a case study. Published by the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, pp. 46. This publication is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to: Commonwealth Copyright Administration Attorney General s Department Robert Garran Offices National Circuit Barton, ACT 2600 Or posted at Report Layout and Design by Adelpha Publishing and Design Printed in North Queensland by Lotsa Printing May 2010

3 Dedicated to the memory of Steve Johnston ( ) A proud Yanyuwa saltwater man, his knowledge of the Sir Edward Pellew islands and surrounding coastal areas was deep and inspiring. His unflagging support, enthusiasm and assistance to researchers from many academic disciplines leave us forever in his debt. i

4 Marsh et al. CONTENTS List of Figures... iii List of Tables... iii List of Appendices... iv Acronyms Used in this Report... iv Acknowledgements... v Executive Summary... vi Introduction... 1 Study Region... 3 Methods... 4 Research Partnership Agreement... 4 Borroloola Workshop, June Information from Traditional Owners and Other Workshop Attendees... 5 Vessel Surveys, November Borroloola Workshop, March Development of Extension Materials Results Borroloola Workshops, June Vessel Surveys Borroloola Workshop, March Discussion Information Obtained Logistical Advantages of Collaborating with Traditional Owners Legal Imperative to Work with Traditional Owners to Conserve Coastal Marine Mammals in the Remote Regions of Northern Australia Concluding Remarks Recommendations Box 1: Steps required to implement the process developed here to engage Traditional Owners and Sea Rangers in identifying hotspots of conservation priority for marine wildlife to inform the spatial component of their Sea Country planning and national policies such as the National Network of Marine Protected Areas and the National Network of Whale and Dolphin Sanctuaries References Appendices ii

5 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Figure 2: Figure 3: Figure 4: Figure 5: Figure 6: Figure 7: Map of the Sea Country of the Yanyuwa people in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory. The waters around the Sir Edward Pellew Islands were the major area of interest in this study... 3 Example of the A2 satellite photographs on which the Yanyuwa Traditional Owners recorded information about their sea country... 7 Yanyuwa Traditional Owners record information about dugongs and coastal dolphins in their sea country using stick-on dots and A2 satellite maps as part of the Community Engagement Tool for Sea Country Planning process... 7 Model of dugong relative abundance and distribution of the Yanyuwa Sea Country, derived from dugong aerial surveys (Marsh et al. 2008)... 8 Map of the study area showing (A) the Yanyuwa clan boundaries and the location of (B) dolphins and (C) dugongs, as recorded by the Traditional Owners and Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission rangers in June 2009, and in John Bradley s field notebooks between April 1980 and October Sightings of (A) dolphins, (B) dugongs, (C) turtles and (D) vessels during the systematic survey conducted by Guido Parra, Isabel Beasley and the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers School sizes of Indo-Pacific Humpback, Snubfin and Bottlenose dolphins observed during boat surveys around the Sir Edward Pellew Island group, Gulf of Carpentaria LIST OF TABLES Table 1: A summary of the type of information obtained from the various groups of informants using the Community Engagement Tool for Sea Country Planning Table 2: Traditional Owners perceived threats to the integrity of Yanyuwa country Table 3: Incidental dolphin sightings (groups) between April 1980 and October 2008, exctracted from the field notes of John Bradley Table 4: Yanyuwa names and traditional linkages to the species of marine wildlife occurring in Yanyuwa Sea Country iii

6 Marsh et al. LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix 1: Appendix 2: Appendix 3: Appendix 4: Appendix 5: Community Engagement Tool for Sea Country Planning Technical Manual... PDF provided on enclosed CD MarineWildlife-Tracker Manual... PDF provided on enclosed CD Yanyuwa Sea Country Marine Wildlife Surveys PowerPoint Presentation... Provided on enclosed CD Jangambala-kunkumanji antha kulu waliyangu nguthundarki poster prepared for school and community groups... Page 35 + CD Wurralngu nyuwu-mangaji ki-anthawu liyi-yanyuwawu poster prepared for school and community groups... Page 36 + CD ACRONYMS USED IN THIS REPORT GBRMPA... Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority GIS... Geographic Information System GPS... Global Positioning System ILUA(s)... Indigenous Land Use Agreement(s) IPA(s)... Indigenous Protected Area(s) NAILSMA... Northern Australia Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance NLC... Northern Land Council NRETAS... Northern Territory Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport TUMRA(s)... Traditional Use of Marine Resource Agreement(s) iv

7 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank the Yanyuwa Traditional Owners for welcoming us to their country and for their hospitality and support; the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers for their hospitality and logistical support for this project; Dr Amanda Kearney (University of New South Wales) for facilitating the workshop attendance of the Yanyuwa women; Keith Saalfeld (Northern Territory Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport) for his valuable technical support; and the following organisations for sending representatives to the June 2009 workshop: the NAILSMA (Northern Australia Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance), NRETAS (Northern Territory Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport) and NLC (Northern Land Council). The li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers (Nicholas Fitzpatrick, Damien Pracy, Stephen Johnson, Ronnie Miller, Graham Friday, and Thomas Simon) participated in the vessel surveys and provided logistical support. Carol Palmer (NRETAS) and Micha Jackson and Rod Kennett (NAILSMA) provided valuable assistance with CyberTracker software and use of the Nomad recording device. Surveys were conducted under animal ethics permit (No. A1433) by James Cook University and research permit (No ) from the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory. This research was funded by the Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. v

8 Marsh et al. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The inshore waters of northern Australia support globally significant populations of three species of marine mammals of conservation concern: the endemic Australian Snubfin dolphin, a likely new endemic species of Humpback dolphin, and the dugong. Together, the Australian ranges of these coastal dolphins and dugong extend along some 32,000 kilometres of northern Australian coastline; around eighty percent of this region is in or adjacent to Sea Country over which Traditional Owners have significant legal rights and burgeoning logistical capacity through the development of Sea Ranger groups. We developed a decision process based on expert (qualitative) knowledge using the Yanyuwa Sea Country of the Northern Territory as a case study. We developed a Community Engagement Tool for Sea Country Planning to collect information from Traditional Owners, representatives of the local (non-indigenous) Fishing Club and the field notebooks of John Bradley, an anthropologist who has worked with Yanyuwa Traditional Owners for thirty years. We combined all of this information with sightings obtained on a dedicated vessel survey conducted by scientists in collaboration with the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers in a Community GIS. The combined approach provided more information on the distribution of the coastal dolphins than either the expert informants or the scientific survey could have provided alone. The study further substantiated the importance of Yanyuwa Sea Country for dugongs and sea turtles, species of great cultural importance to the Yanyuwa. The project also confirmed the presence of all three species of coastal dolphins (Snubfin, Humpback and Bottlenose) in the Sea Country of the Yanyuwa. These three species are well known to the Traditional Owners and have Yanyuwa names. The coastal, shallow estuarine waters of the Yanyuwa Sea Country (which includes the fifth largest river system in the Northern Territory) appeared to be prime habitat for these species. The qualitative information from expert informants indicated that dolphins are widely distributed, particularly in shallow inshore waters. Nonetheless, the vessel surveys indicated that the numbers of each of the three species of dolphin that use Yanyuwa Sea Country were small in November Further vessel surveys are required to determine if there are seasonal patterns in the distribution and abundance vi

9 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins of the coastal dolphins. If the low number of dolphins sighted is consistent across seasons, it will be impossible to monitor trends in their abundance in a management time frame because precise estimates of abundance will be unattainable. The survey also confirmed the value of the TDS Nomad handheld computer, the CyberTracker-based GPS software 1 and the dedicated data recording sequence as a data-logging tool suitable for use by trained Sea Rangers. The Sea Ranger Marine Wildlife Tracker software sequence developed for this project will enable Sea Rangers to systematically collect details about whale, dolphin, dugong and turtle sightings. Long-term standardised collection of these data will be critical in determining the spatial and temporal patterns coastal dolphins in the remote coastal waters of northern Australia, and guiding future research effort through use of the CyberTracker will also allow the data to be incorporated into I-Tracker, a network of Indigenous land and sea managers across remote northern Australia who are using the CyberTracker to collect and manage information about their natural and cultural resources. To be successful, this approach will require high standards of observer training and data management. Australian governments are increasing investment in programs such as Working on Country to provide the resources to enable Indigenous peoples to continue to manage their country. In most of the remote range of coastal dolphins and dugongs in northern Australia, the Indigenous Sea Ranger effort on-country now far surpasses that of non-indigenous officers and scientists and has considerable potential to provide the data required to inform the planning and management of inshore waters in remote regions using the techniques developed in this project. 1 vii

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11 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins INTRODUCTION The inshore waters of northern Australia support globally significant populations of three species of marine mammals of conservation concern: the endemic Australian Snubfin dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni, a likely new endemic species of Humpback dolphin, Sousa chinensis, and the dugong, Dugong dugon. The Australian Snubfin dolphin was described as a new species in 2005 and occurs only within Australian and possibly Papua New Guinean waters (Beasley et al. 2005). Recent genetic studies on Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins indicate Australian populations may also represent a different species found only in Australian waters (Frère et al. 2008). The Action Plan for Australian Cetaceans lists both these dolphin species as insufficiently known but suspected to be endangered or vulnerable (Bannister et al. 1996). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species classifies the dugong as vulnerable to extinction at a global scale (IUCN 2009). The coastal waters of northern Australia are the dugong s stronghold (Marsh et al. 2003). Australia has international obligations and responsibilities for the conservation and management of these species and for the customary use of biological resources. Australia is signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention). All three species are listed in Appendix II of the Bonn Convention and Australia is signatory to a Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs under that Convention. The dugong is listed in Appendix I of the CITES; the coastal dolphins in Appendix II. As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Australia also has responsibilities for the conservation of the customary use of biological resources in accordance with traditional cultural practices that are compatible with conservation or sustainable use requirements. Australia is also a signatory to the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Article 25 of the Declaration establishes that Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinctive spiritual relationship with their traditionally owned or otherwise occupied and used lands, territories, waters and coastal seas and other resources and to uphold their responsibilities to future generations in this regard (UN 2007). Since the 1990s, many of these responsibilities and obligations have been articulated in a 1

12 Marsh et al. host of legal multilateral and regional environmental agreements that have been incorporated into Australian legislation by the Commonwealth and States/Territories. Information on the distribution and abundance of species is basic to the development of arrangements for their conservation and sustainable use. The distribution of Australian Snubfin and Humpback dolphins has been poorly documented at a national level. Stranding and sighting data indicate both species are found throughout the coastal waters of Queensland and the Northern Territory and in the waters of north Western Australia (Parra et al. 2002, 2004). Knowledge of the distribution and relative abundance of the dugong has been informed by extensive aerial surveys (Marsh et al. 2006, 2007, 2008; Hodgson 2007) that have led to the development of spatial models of dugong distribution and abundance in the coastal waters of eastern Queensland and the Gulf of Carpentaria using techniques developed by Grech and Marsh (2007). However, the aerial surveys do not cover the dugong s entire range in Australia. They are also unsuitable for determining the distribution and abundance of coastal dolphins because dolphins are difficult to identify at the species level from the air and their distributions are more linear and clumped than that of dugongs. The information required for developing plans to conserve populations of the coastal dolphins and the dugong across their Australian ranges would be logistically difficult and expensive to obtain using Western science techniques. In addition, this approach would not include information important to Traditional Owners. Accordingly, the Australian Marine Mammal Centre has recognised as a Key Need that a decision process based on expert (qualitative) knowledge is required. Our study addressed this Key Need. Together, the Australian ranges of the coastal dolphins and the dugong extend along some 32,000 kilometres of northern Australian coastline. Because of the vastness and remoteness of the region and our objective to develop and evaluate a decision process, we used the Yanyuwa Sea Country of the Northern Territory as a case study (Figure 1). Our study did not consider specific management arrangements; such arrangements are a matter to be negotiated by Traditional Owners and governments and will vary from region to region across northern Australia. However, we have considered the applicability of the process to 2

13 Yarrbanthawu ki Miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins the development of the various forms of agreements for the management of Indigenous Sea Country in the discussion of this report Limmen Bight River Kilometers Sir Edward Pellew Group West Island North Island Mule Creek Centre Island Vanderlin Island Gulf of Carpentaria Fat Fellows Creek Northern Territory Queensland! Borroloola Robinson River Figure 1: Map of the Sea Country of the Yanyuwa people in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory. The waters around the Sir Edward Pellew Islands were the major area of interest in this study. STUDY REGION The study region was the Sea Country of the Yanyuwa people and extends along some 270 kilometres of coastline (~900 kilometres including the offshore islands) from the mouths of the Limmen Bight River to the mouth of the Robinson River (Figure 1) and especially the waters surrounding the Sir Edward Pellew Islands. The region supports a relatively high density of dugongs, Dugong dugon, (Marsh et al. 2008) as well as three species of inshore dolphins: the Australian Snubfin dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni, the Indo Pacific Humpback dolphin, Sousa chinensis (hereafter Australian Humpback dolphin), and the Bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops sp. 3

14 Marsh et al. METHODS Research Partnership Agreement A Research Partnership Agreement was negotiated to detail the roles and responsibilities of each of the partner organisations (the Yanyuwa Traditional Owners, Northern Territory Government and researchers) to ensure a clear understanding regarding survey and data gathering protocols, data access arrangements, data storage and use of the data by each group, and the key products from the project survey manual, database, posters, etc.). The agreement was designed to protect Yanyuwa Intellectual Property, ensure appropriate regional and national data standardisation and establish protocols for the vessel survey, and data sharing and management. The agreement outlined which data were to be retained within the Yanyuwa community and/or shared with external agencies, including other Indigenous communities and under what conditions. A draft agreement was negotiated prior to the commencement of the project to ensure that all parties understood the arrangements. This document was used as the basis of the James Cook University Ethics approvals. The Research Partnership Agreement was revised and signed during the June 2009 workshop in Borroloola. Borroloola Workshop, June 2009 Workshops were held in Borroloola in the week beginning 15 June 2009 to record the expert knowledge relevant to the conservation management and sustainable use of coastal dolphins and dugongs in Yanyuwa Sea Country. The workshops were organised by the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers in partnership with the research team and conducted in accordance with cultural protocols. The Traditional Owner workshop and subsequent meetings were facilitated by John Bradley, an anthropologist with a long-standing trusted relationship with the Yanyuwa community. John Bradley was assisted by Dr Amanda Kearney (University of New South Wales), an anthropologist trusted by the Yanyuwa women 1. The first workshop was attended by nine non-ranger Traditional Owners, seven li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers (four of whom were also Traditional Owners), a 1 The senior Yanyuwa Traditional Owners are women. 4

15 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins representative of each of the following organisations: NAILSMA (Northern Australia Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance), NRETAS (Northern Territory Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport), NLC (Northern Land Council), the project team and three observers. Members of the King Ash Bay Fishing Club were invited to a workshop on the second day. The President and Vice-President attended along with seven Traditional Owners (all of whom had also attended the previous day), the rangers, researchers and one observer. The research team subsequently travelled to King Ash Bay to deliver satellite photographs, marine mammal sighting sheets and a poster explaining the project to senior representatives of the Fishing Club who were asked to involve their members in collecting information about sightings of dolphins and dugongs. We received no further response to these requests. An informal teleconference was conducted between John Bradley, Professor Helene Marsh and Dr Guido Parra and an expert informant and Traditional owner, Mr Steve Johnston 1, who lived on Vanderlin Island for more than sixty years. Johnston had been unable to travel to Borroloola for personal reasons exacerbated by rough weather. The teleconference provided an opportunity to explain the project to Johnston, exchange information and arrange for him to participate in the project at a later date with the assistance of the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers. We also met with the local rangers from the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission (one of whom was a Traditional Owner) and shared information with them using the same protocol as before. The workshops were conducted in accordance with the James Cook University Human Research Ethics Committee permit H3332. At the beginning of each workshop, the workshop facilitator and the researchers explained the context, purpose and nature of the workshop and the written consent form and invited each participant to complete the form. Information from Traditional Owners and Other Workshop Attendees We developed a technical manual, Community Engagement Tool for Sea Country Planning Technical Manual (Appendix 1) using A2 satellite photographs downloaded from Google 1 Mr Steve Johnston passed away in June

16 Marsh et al. Earth (Figure 2) and colour-coded stick-on dots (Figure 3) to record information provided by Traditional Owners and other expert workshop attendees about the distribution and relative abundance of dugongs, coastal dolphins, whales (mostly carcasses) and seagrass. Attendees had access to large colour photographs of the dugongs and three species of coastal dolphin (Orcaella, Sousa, Tursiops) and to pictorial marine mammal identification keys reproduced from Marsh et al. (2008). Information about cetaceans was recorded to the species level if the informant was confident in his or her identification. Dr Alana Grech subsequently digitised the sighting information from the satellite maps into a Community GIS (Geographic Information System) which she created to store spatial and non-spatial data of relevance to the Yanyuwa people as a series of overlays in a common format. Grech demonstrated to the Traditional Owners how the spatial information from the workshops could be stored in a Community GIS along with the Western science information on the distribution and relative abundance of dugongs obtained from aerial surveys (Figure 4), and the information from the vessel surveys. The satellite photographs with the information provided by Traditional Owners were photographed and returned to the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers. Qualitative verbal information about perceived threats to the integrity of their Sea Country was also collected separately from groups of male and female Traditional Owners at the first workshop. Protocols for storing the expert information reflected the Research Partnership Agreement. Towards the end of the first day of the workshop, most non-indigenous participants were asked to leave the room while the facilitator went through the information collected and negotiated the protocols for its further use in the project, subject to the outputs being reviewed by Traditional Owners with the assistance of the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers. The Research Partnership Agreement was modified slightly to reflect this advice. On the second day, we discussed with Traditional Owners the option of biopsy sampling dolphins and dugong for genetics on an opportunity basis during the vessel survey. Traditional Owners gave their verbal and subsequently their written approval to such collection. After the June 2009 workshop, John Bradley supplied the project team with a summary of the dolphin sightings recorded in his field notebooks between April 1980 and October

17 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins Traditional Owner Steve Johnston also recorded information about the distribution and relative abundance of dugongs, coastal dolphins, whales and seagrass with the assistance of the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers using our Community Engagement Tool for Sea Country Planning. These data were entered into the Community GIS. Figure 2: Example of the A2 satellite photographs on which the Yanyuwa Traditional Owners recorded information about their sea country. Figure 3: Yanyuwa Traditional Owners record information about dugongs and coastal dolphins in their sea country using stick-on dots and A2 satellite maps as part of the Community Engagement Tool for Sea Country Planning process. 7

18 Marsh et al. Limmen Bight River Unknown Sir Edward Pellew Group North Island West Island Vanderlin Island Dugong abundance Low Medium Medium - high High Kilometers Borroloola Robinson River Figure 4: Model of dugong relative abundance and distribution in the Yanyuwa Sea Country, derived from dugong aerial surveys (Marsh et al. 2008). This information was shared with the Yanyuwa Traditional Owners during the June 2009 workshop. Vessel Surveys, November 2009 The information collected during the Borroloola workshop in June 2009, along with relevant expert knowledge of dolphins, dugongs and turtle habitat was used to design a standard shipboard line transect survey (Buckland et al. 2001), covering the coastal and offshore waters of the Sir Edward Pellew Island Group area of the Yanyuwa Sea Country (Figure 5). Transect lines were placed perpendicular to the island shorelines and spaced approximately four kilometres apart. Each transect line was surveyed once. The vessel survey was conducted during the first two weeks of November 2009 and organised as a partnership between marine mammal scientists (Guido Parra and Dr Isabel Beasley) and the li Anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers. A 7.59 metre Stabicraft owned by the li Anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers was used to carry out the surveys. The vessel provided an elevated platform, raising onlookers to 2.5 metres above sea surface. Surveys occurred only during calm sea conditions (i.e. Beaufort 4 or less, and swells to less than 1.5 metres) to 8

19 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins minimise the chance of overlooking dolphins, dugongs and turtles. All surveys took place between 0600 and 1400 hrs, after which the weather usually deteriorated due to strong inshore sea breezes. While the ship was moving at a speed of 18 km/h along a transect line, a team of up to three observers (two experienced marine mammal observers and a trained sea ranger) located on top of the viewer platform, searched for marine wildlife (dolphins, dugongs, turtles) ahead and on each side of the boat with the aid of 7 X 50 binoculars fitted with a compass and reticle markings. Once dolphins were sighted, survey effort was suspended to confirm the species' identification, assess school size and age composition, and record water depth. Sighting distances to animals were estimated from the compass bearings and reticle readings from the horizon or land (Lerczak and Hobbs 1998; Buckland et al. 2004). Survey effort was not suspended for dugongs or sea turtles; animals were recorded in passing mode. Once survey effort was suspended, dolphins were approached slowly to within metres, to identify the species, estimate school size, assess the age composition of the school, and take photographs of individual animals for photo-identification. Dolphin schools were defined as dolphins with relatively close spatial cohesion (i.e. each member within one hundred metres of any other member) that were involved in similar (often the same) behavioural activities (modified from Connor et al. 1998). Three age classes were distinguished based on behavioural cues and visual assessment using the average adult size for each species as a reference: (1) adults: individuals ~2-3 metres long; (2) juveniles: individuals approximately two-thirds the length of an adult, usually swimming in association with an adult, but sometimes swimming independently; and (3) calves: individuals with light brown (Snubfin dolphins) or light grey (Humpback and Bottlenose dolphins) skin colour, half the length of an adult, in close association with an adult, and swimming regularly besides or slightly behind an adult. Data on survey conditions, effort and marine wildlife sightings were recorded using the Nomad data logger, CyberTracker-based GPS software 1 and a dedicated data recording sequence developed by Guido Parra with the assistance of Carol Palmer (NRETAS) and Micha 1 9

20 Marsh et al. Jackson and Rod Kennett (NAILSMA). Data were also recorded on survey conditions (Beaufort sea state, swell height, fog and rain, visibility and glare) and animal sighting information (time, location, species, and school size) during the surveys. Sea Rangers were trained by Guido Parra and Isabel Beasley in survey methods and use of the CyberTracker sequence to enable their participation in the survey and future monitoring. Borroloola Workshop, March 2010 The project team travelled to Borroloola for a second workshop held on 18 March The workshop was organised by the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers in partnership with the research team and conducted in accordance with cultural protocols. Meetings were held with the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers prior to the workshop to discuss the workshop format, their preferred extension materials and follow-up work. The workshop was facilitated by John Bradley and attended by four non-ranger Traditional Owners, nine li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers (seven of whom were also Traditional Owners), and the project team. The workshop agenda comprised: (1) an introduction by John Bradley; (2) a presentation on the vessel survey by Guido Parra; (3) a discussion on future directions led by John Bradley; (4) agreement on publication protocols facilitated by John in the Yanyuwa language, with the other members of the project team away from the room; and (5) a focus group facilitated by John Bradley (also in Yanyuwa with the other members of the project team out of the room), in which the Traditional Owners were asked three questions: (1) what they liked about the project; (2) what they disliked about the project; and (3) suggestions for improvement. Development of Extension Materials On the advice of the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers, a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation (Appendix 3) was developed for the rangers to customise to a range of audiences including Traditional Owners, the general public and government agency staff. Two posters were developed to return Indigenous and Western scientific information about the project and the marine mammals of the Yanyuwa Sea Country to the Yanyuwa peoples (Appendices 4 10

21 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins and 5). In addition, we developed the manual Community Engagement Tool for Sea Country Planning (Appendix 1) and the Sea Rangers MarineWildlife-Tracker Manual (Appendix 2). RESULTS Borroloola Workshops, June 2009 Our Community Engagement Tool for Sea Country Planning (Figures 2 and 3) proved very effective for recording a range of incidental information from expert informants about the distribution and relative abundance of dugongs, coastal dolphins, whales (mostly carcasses) and seagrass for the regions around the Sir Edward Pellew Islands and around the outstation near the mouth of the Limmen Bight River (Table 1). In contrast, the Fishing Club representatives were wary of disclosing information (Table 1) and it was difficult to ascertain how much of the data they provided was constrained by their concerns about inadvertently reporting illegal fishing activities. We had no response to our attempts to involve their members in a sighting program despite the fact that they requested such involvement. The collated digitised information from the expert informants on the distribution of the three species of dolphins (Figure 6) suggests that the coastal dolphins used much of the habitat around the Sir Edward Pellew Islands. The Snubfin dolphins tended to be widely distributed, especially in the inshore waters and had been occasionally sighted in the rivers. The reported sightings of Humpback and Bottlenose dolphins were also widely distributed but tended to be more offshore than the other two species, although we received one report of a Humpback dolphin ~35 kilometres upstream at Black Rock in the McArthur River in the last ten years (crab fisher Greg Quayle, pers. comm., 2010). Most reports of dugongs were inshore and around mudflats (Figure 6). There was good agreement between the incidental information and the high density dugong areas previously identified using aerial surveys (Figure 4; Marsh et al. 2008). 11

22 Marsh et al. Table 1: A summary of the type of information obtained from the various groups of informants using the Community Engagement Tool for Sea Country Planning. Traditional Owners / li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers Researchers (Bradley / Whiting) Recreational Fishers NT Parks and Wildlife Commission Rangers Marine Mammal Sightings Dolphins species not recognised Australian Snubfin dolphins Snubfin strandings Long-nosed dolphins (probably Sousa + Tursiops) Sousa Whales unidentified alive Dugongs general Dugong large herds Marine Mammal and Turtle Strandings Unidentified whale Baleen whale False killer whale Pilot whales Dugongs Turtles Seagrass distribution Seagrass 12

23 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins Traditional Owners / li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers Researchers (Bradley / Whiting) Recreational Fishers NT Parks and Wildlife Commission Rangers Enhalus Spatial extent of information Sir Edward Pellew Islands and associated river systems generally Limmen Bight region (outstation) Charter route Survey route 13

24 Marsh et al. Rru Wur A Rru Wur Rru Rru Wur Wur Wuy Wur Rru Vanderlin Island Wuy Wur: Wurdaliya Wuy: Wuyaliya Rru: Rrumburriya Mam: Mambaliya-Wawukarriya Mam Wuy Rru Wur Mam Wur Miriyi (Bottlenose dolphin) a-bumirri (Humpback dolphin) Wundumarlamarla (Snubfin dolphin) Kilometers Waliki (Dugong) Kilometers Figure 5: Map of the study area showing (A) the Yanyuwa clan boundaries and the location of (B) dolphins and (C) dugongs, as recorded by the Traditional Owners and Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission rangers in June 2009, and in John Bradley s field notebooks between April 1980 and October See Figure 4 for island names. B C 14

25 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins The concerns of both male and female Traditional Owners with respect to the integrity of Yanyuwa Sea country were grouped into threats associated with commercial fishing, biodiversity and mining (Table 2). Although there were some gender differences, these were likely to be more reflective of the dynamics of the two focus groups rather than more substantive matters. Collectively this information demonstrates that information on the perceived threats to the species of marine wildlife in Yanyuwa Sea Country can be collected quickly from Traditional Owners using focus groups. Table 2: Traditional Owners perceived threats to the integrity of Yanyuwa Country. Males Females Fishing issues Crabbing around Sir Edward Pellew Islands without appropriate permission Camping in sensitive areas on Aboriginal land without permission Effluent from fishing camps 1 Rubbish (particularly plastics and discarded fish) and other debris left by commercial and recreational fishers and other tourists, especially in mangroves 1 Ghost nets especially in mangroves and in creeks 1 Bait nets (crabbers) Bycatch in commercial barramundi nets Habitat disturbance by prawn trawlers Overharvest by commercial crabbers and recreational fishers Boat traffic: speed volume 1 Boat traffic in creeks and houseboats in Carrington Channel 2,3 Tourists and fishers coming to King Ash Bay, especially in March

26 Marsh et al. Males Females Displacement of Yanyuwa from fishing grounds, especially King Ash Bay 2, Batten Point and Bing Bong 4 leading to reduction in fishing by Yanyuwa Biodiversity issues Declining water quality in the McArthur River Exotic marine pests Feral animals 1 Mining issues Heavy metal pollution Impact of Bing Bong port on local biota (kangaroos and crabs) Other Sick and dead animals 1 Also at Limmen Bight (see Figure 1). 2 King Ash Bay is a private, relatively self-contained development (60+ houses) on the banks of the McArthur River, run by the King Ash Bay Fishing Club on a tenants-in-common perpetual lease (tourism). The 400 hectare property was excised from Bing Bong Station in King Ash Bay attracts around 14,000 visitors (40,000 visitor nights per year), mostly recreational fishers but including ~4,000 grey nomads. A fishing competition is held each Easter (Keith Hallett, President King Ash Bay Fishing Club, pers. comm., June 2009). 3 Presumably as a result of the Easter fishing competition at King Ash Bay. 4 Bing Bong is the port for the McArthur River copper, lead and zinc mine. Vessel Surveys A total of 341 kilometres of transect line was surveyed in the study area (Figure 6A). Most transect lines were run perpendicular to the coastlines, however in days where weather conditions were unsuitable for open water surveys, some lines were run parallel to the coastline (i.e. west coast of West Island; Figure 6A). Most survey effort (93%) took place in relatively good conditions of Beaufort sea state 0-3 or less. We sighted a total of nine schools of dolphins (Snubfin dolphins = 2 schools, Humpback dolphins = 4 schools, Bottlenose 16

27 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins dolphins = 1 school, unidentified = 2), 21 dugongs (11 groups) and 37 turtles. Bottlenose and Humpback dolphins were sighted off the coast of West Island while Snubfin dolphins were sighted in waters between Centre Island and Vanderlin Island. The majority of dugongs and turtles were sighted close to the mainland coast between Mule Creek and Fat Fellows Creek (Figure 1). All dolphin sightings with confirmed species identification occurred in waters less than ten metres deep (mean ± se = 6.4 ± 0.58m, n = 7). Dolphin school sizes varied between one and five animals (Figure 7). We also recorded fifteen power driven vessels in the survey area (Figure 6D). Figure 6: Sightings of (A) dolphins, (B) dugongs, (C) turtles and (D) vessels during the systematic survey conducted by Guido Parra, Isabel Beasley and the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers. The planned transects are presented here rather than the actual CyberTracker tracks because the tracks of the vessel movements when the survey effort was suspended complicate the picture. The correspondence between the planned transects and the CyberTracker tracks were excellent. See Figure 4 for island names. 17

28 Marsh et al. Figure 7: School sizes of Indo-Pacific Humpback (n =4), Snubfin (n = 2) and Bottlenose dolphins (n =1) observed during boat surveys around the Sir Edward Pellew Island group, Gulf of Carpentaria. As a result of the unexpectedly low number of dolphin sightings, we reviewed John Bradley s field notes (Table 3) and checked with expert informant and Traditional Owner, Steve Johnston. Both sources suggested that the majority of past incidental sightings had been during the cooler months. However, we have no information as to the seasonality of their sighting efforts. 18

29 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins Table 3: Incidental dolphin sightings (groups) between April 1980 and October 2008, extracted from the field notes of John Bradley. Sightings have been counted if they occurred on separate days or on the same day at different locations. There is no information on the seasonality of sighting effort. Month No. sightings Australian Snubfin dolphin No. sightings Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphin No. sightings Bottlenose dolphin January February March 4 3 April May June July August September October November 2 December Total sightings Borroloola Workshop, March 2010 The Traditional Owners and the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers were generally very positive about the project. They appreciated the feedback from the project team and that their advice to repeat the survey in July has resulted in an application for funding to repeat the vessel survey in June-July The Traditional Owners requested that project outputs: (1) include clan boundaries (Figure 5A), Yanyuwa names and details of the traditional linkages for the marine wildlife species of interest (Table 4); and (2) acknowledge the contributions of Yanyuwa families and the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers by including both groups as authors 19

30 Marsh et al. of this report. The Traditional Owners also provided advice regarding extension materials. Verbal permission was given to use approved photographs; this permission will be followed by written permission. The Traditional Owners requested copies of all project outputs. Table 4: Yanyuwa names and traditional linkages to the species of marine wildlife occurring in Yanyuwa Sea Country. Species Scientific Name Yanyuwa Name Traditional Linkage Australian Snubfin dolphin Orcaella heinsohni wundumarlamarla Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops sp miriyi Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin Sousa chinensis a-bumirri Rrumburriya Clan* Dugong Dugong dugon waliki Green turtle Chelonia mydas malurrba Flatback turtle Natator depressus wirndiwirndi Hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata karrubu Wurdaliya Clan Olive ridley turtle Nesting turtle Lepidochelys olivacea) liyarnbi jardiwangani Loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta limarrwurrirri Mambaliya- Wawukarriya Clan * Lone male dugongs are linked to the Wuyaliya Clan. 20

31 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins DISCUSSION Information Obtained Combining the qualitative information collected from the Traditional Owners, li- Anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers, representatives of the King Ash Bay Fishing Club, and John Bradley s field notebooks with the quantitative sightings obtained on the dedicated vessel survey provided more information on the distribution of the coastal dolphins than either technique could have provided alone. All three species of coastal dolphins that occur in northern Australia occur in the Sea Country of the Yanyuwa and all have Yanyuwa names (Table 4). All this information indicated that dolphins are widely distributed in Yanyuwa Sea Country, particularly in shallow inshore waters. Vessel surveys in different areas across the east coast of Queensland indicate that Australian Snubfin and Humpback dolphins occur in small populations without seasonal variation in distribution (Parra 2006; Parra and Arnold 2008; Parra and Ross 2009; Parra et al. 2006a, 2006b). Based on studies of the habitat preferences of Snubfin and Humpback dolphins (Parra 2006; Parra and Arnold 2008; Parra and Ross 2009; Parra et al. 2002, 2004, 2006a, 2006b), the coastal, shallow estuarine waters of the Yanyuwa Sea country (which includes the fifth largest river system in the Northern Territory) appeared to be prime habitat for these species. Nonetheless, the vessel surveys indicated that the numbers of each of the three species using the Sea Country were small in November We were surprised at the low numbers of animals sighted, especially given the reports of the expert informants in June 2009, which had not explicitly indicated a seasonal pattern of occurrence (Figure 5), although this conclusion was subsequently challenged after checking John Bradley s field notes (Table 3) and with expert informant Steve Johnston. Although no dolphins were found stranded after Tropical Cyclone Kathy in March 1984 (Marsh et al. 1986), Freeland and Bayliss (1989) reported seeing substantial numbers of Irrawaddy (now Australian Snubfin dolphins) in the Northern Territory coastal water of the Gulf of Carpentaria during aerial surveys for dugongs in They saw dolphins in the Sir Edward Pellew Island area between Centre and Vanderlin Islands in February 1985 (estimated population size se. 61) but none in August This alleged seasonal difference may have been a 21

32 Marsh et al. sampling artefact as such differences were not evident in the larger concentrations sighted by Freeland and Bayliss (1989) in Blue Mud Bay on the cestern Coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The large coefficient of variation indicates that number of dolphins sighted around the Sir Edward Pellew Islands in February 1985 must have been small (back calculations suggest that only 11 or 12 Snubfin dolphins (not groups) were sighted). Further vessel surveys are required to establish whether there are seasonal patterns in the distribution and abundance of coastal dolphins in Yanyuwa Sea Country. The low number of dolphins observed on our November 2009 survey (n = 9 schools) precluded the use of distance sampling methods to estimate abundance. If the low number of dolphins sighted is robust across seasons, it will be impossible to monitor trends in their abundance in a management time frame because precise estimates of abundance will be unattainable (Gerrodette 1987). As well as establishing that the area supports all three species of coastal dolphins, the study further substantiates the importance of Yanyuwa Sea Country for dugongs and sea turtles. Dugongs and sea turtles are species of great importance to the Yanyuwa (Table 3; Bradley 1991, 1997; Bradley et al. 2006) and the national importance of the region as dugong habitat is well established (Marsh et al. 2003, 2008). Logistical Advantages of Collaborating with Traditional Owners The logistical challenges of managing the coastal environment of the remote regions of Northern Australia are considerable. The surveys conducted in the Yanyuwa Sea Country are the first dedicated boat surveys for marine mammals in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Given the isolated nature of the area, the field assistance and participation of the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers was critical for the success of our boat surveys and we believe that the assistance of Sea Rangers will enhance the success of other vessel surveys for marine mammals throughout the coastal waters of the remote regions of northern Australia. The survey confirmed the value of the TDS Nomad handheld computer, the CyberTrackerbased GPS software and the dedicated data recording sequence as a data-logging tool 22

33 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins suitable for use by Sea Rangers who have received appropriate training. The Sea Ranger MarineWildlife-Tracker software sequence that we have developed will enable Sea Rangers to systematically collect whale, dolphin, dugong and turtle sightings (Appendix 2). Long-term standardised collection of these data will be critical to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of occurrence of the coastal dolphins in the remote coastal waters of northern Australia between Cooktown and Broome and to guide future research effort on these species. The continued use of the CyberTracker will also enable the data to be incorporated into I-Tracker, a network of Indigenous land and sea managers across remote northern Australia who are using CyberTracker to collect and manage information about their natural and cultural resources (Jackson et al. 2009). To be successful, this approach will require high standards of observer training and data management and the support of Traditional Owners. Australian governments are increasingly investing in programs such as Working on Country 1 to enable Indigenous peoples to continue to manage their country. As a result, the Indigenous Sea Ranger effort on-country in most of the remote region from Cooktown in Queensland to Shark Bay in Western Australia far surpasses that of non-indigenous officers and has considerable potential to provide the data required to inform the planning and management of inshore waters in remote regions. Instruments such as Indigenous Protected Areas 2 (IPAs), Indigenous Land Use Agreements 3 (ILUAs) and Traditional Use of Marine Resource Agreements 4 (TUMRAs; Havemann et al An Indigenous Protected Area is an area of Indigenous-owned land or sea where traditional owners have entered into an agreement with the Australian Government to promote biodiversity and cultural resource conservation. 3 Indigenous land use agreements (ILUAs) are agreements provided by the Commonwealth Native Title Act 1993 between Native Title holders or claimants and other interested parties about how land and waters in the area covered by the agreement will be used and managed in the future. 4 Traditional use activities in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park are managed under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003 recognises that under Section 211 of the Commonwealth Native Title Act 1993, Native Title holders may undertake traditional use of marine resources in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. TUMRAs are formal agreements developed by Traditional Owner groups and accredited by the Great Barrier 23

34 Marsh et al. 2005) are also increasingly being used to empower Traditional Owners to manage their Sea Country. Some of the results of our survey have already been included in the application for an Indigenous Protected Area being prepared by the Yanyuwa people (Stephen Johnson, pers. comm.). The results of such a time series of systematic marine wildlife surveys will enable Traditional Owners to take a risk management approach to the management of marine wildlife in their Sea Country. The spatial information on the wildlife and the threats to their continued existence can be combined in a community geographical information system as we have done to enable Traditional Owners to explore systematically the ways in which the risks to marine wildlife and their habitats can be reduced. This approach will be particularly valuable for identifying hotspots where the both density of wildlife and the threats to their existence (which can be defined using focus groups; see Table 2) are high and should rapidly provide some of the information required for management to enable future efforts to concentrate on management intervention to ensure that there are dolphins, dugongs and sea turtles around for future generations. Legal Imperative to Work with Traditional Owners to Conserve Coastal Marine Mammals in the Remote Regions of Northern Australia Recent landmark court cases have affirmed that Traditional Owners have significant legal rights over their Sea Country in Australia. These decisions are strongly influencing the management of the coastal waters of most of the ranges of the Australian Snubfin dolphin and the Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphin and the dugong in Australia, especially the ~80% that Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (formerly Environmental Protection Agency). TUMRAs describe how Traditional Owner groups work with government to manage traditional use activities in sea country. A TUMRA may describe, for example, how Traditional Owner groups wish to limit their take of turtle and dugong, their role in compliance and their role in monitoring the condition of plants and animals, and human activities in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The TUMRA implementation plan may describe ways to educate the public about traditional connections to sea country, and to educate other members of a Traditional Owner group about the conditions of the TUMRA. 24

35 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins occurs in the remote waters between Cooktown and Shark Bay. In 2001 as a result of the Croker Island case, the High Court of Australia affirmed that shared Native Title could exist over the sea (Commonwealth v Yarmirr, 2001). In addition, the Blue Mud Bay decision of the Federal Court of Australia established the potential for exclusive Indigenous ownership of the vast intertidal area of some 84% of the Northern Territory coast (Gumana v Northern Territory of Australia, 2007). Thus about 22% of the combined Australian ranges of these three species of marine mammals of conservation concern (Snubfin dolphin, Humpback dolphin, dugong) is within or adjacent to areas where Traditional Owners have the potential to have Exclusive Native Title; much of the remainder is in regions with the potential for shared Native Title to be established. 25

36 Marsh et al. CONCLUDING REMARKS The legal imperatives of Traditional Owners in the management of the coastal waters, together with their existing traditional management responsibilities and the logistical potential offered by the burgeoning workforce of Sea Rangers are compelling. We consider that it is both legally necessary and cost-effective for a national approach to management of coastal dolphins and dugongs in Northern Australia to work in partnership with Sea Ranger groups and Traditional Owners using the process developed here (Box 1), with the addition of ongoing systematic surveys conducted by the Sea Rangers. All the steps outlined in Box 1 are important to the successful implementation of this process, which also has the potential to inform policies such as the National Network of Marine Protected Areas and the proposed National Network of Whale and Dolphin Sanctuaries. This protocol could easily be expanded to include sea turtle nesting beaches and in-water observations of other species of marine wildlife of conservation concern such as sawfish. It would be particularly useful if this approach were complimented by large-scale aerial surveys at five year intervals, so that the results for dugongs and sea turtles could be placed in a regional context (see Figure 4) and allow the spatial models produced by Grech and Marsh (2007) to be updated. 26

37 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins RECOMMENDATIONS National 1. That a national approach to management of coastal dolphins and dugongs in Northern Australia work in partnership with Sea Ranger groups and Traditional Owners using the process developed here with the addition of ongoing systematic surveys conducted by the Sea Rangers. 2. That a training program and materials be developed to enable Sea Rangers to conduct systematic surveys for marine wildlife. Regional 3. That priority be given to a study of the dolphins in Blue Mud Bay, the hotspot for Snubfin dolphins identified by Freeland and Bayliss (1989) using the process developed here. Yanyuwa Sea Country 4. That the vessel survey conducted in this project be repeated in the winter of 2011 to determine whether the abundance of coastal dolphins in Yanyuwa Sea country varies seasonally. 27

38 Marsh et al. Box 1: Steps required to implement the process developed here to engage Traditional Owners and Sea Rangers in identifying hotspots of conservation priority for marine wildlife to inform the spatial component of their Sea Country planning and national policies such as the National Network of Marine Protected Areas and the National Network of Whale and Dolphin Sanctuaries. 1. Assemble a multi-disciplinary research team including people with the following attributes, skills and experience: cross-cultural literacy, GIS skills and experience in conducting marine mammal surveys in small boast in remote areas. At least one person in the team should be trusted by the target Indigenous community. 2. Consult with the target Indigenous community via their Sea Rangers (Land and Sea Management Unit) to obtain Traditional Owner support for jointly developing a funding proposal. 3. Obtain written in-principle agreement for the project from the relevant Traditional Owners before submitting the funding proposal. 4. If funding is awarded, develop a Research Partnership Agreement between all partner organisations that details the responsibilities and commitments of all partner organisations and individuals and arrangements for data storage and access. 5. Obtain required human and animal ethics approvals for project and agency permits. 6. Hold expert workshops with Traditional Owners and relevant stakeholders on country to share spatial information on: (1) the sightings of coastal dolphins and dugongs in their sea country; (2) threats to coastal dolphins and dugongs in their sea country; and (3) other information that they wish to share. Record this information using our Community Engagement Tool for Sea Country Planning (Appendix 1). Provide Traditional Owners with originals and computer records of all information. Check data storage and access arrangements and modify research agreement if required. 7. Determine if there are any historical records of marine mammal sightings for the study region. Incorporate these sightings in the community GIS. 8. Use the results of the workshops to design winter and summer vessel surveys for coastal dolphins, dugongs and sea turtles in the relevant Sea Country. 9. Conduct the vessel survey(s) as a partnership between scientists and Sea Rangers. Use CyberTracker-based GPS software ( and the Sea Rangers MarineWildlife-Tracker Manual (Appendix 2). 28

39 Yarrbanthawu ki Miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins Box 1: Steps required to implement the process developed here to engage Traditional Owners and Sea Rangers in identifying hotspots of conservation priority for marine wildlife to inform the spatial component of their Sea Country planning and national policies such as the National Network of Marine Protected Areas and the National Network of Whale and Dolphin Sanctuaries. 10. Analyse the survey data using appropriate scientific techniques. 11. Combine the information obtained using the various techniques in the community GIS. 12. Present the information to the Traditional owners and rangers in a second series of workshops on country. 13. Obtain approvals from Traditional Owners regarding the use of data and photographs from the project in reports and publications. Check on authorship protocols. 14. Assist the Traditional Owners and rangers to use this information in sea country planning and management as they see fit. 15. Provide copies of the information to relevant government agencies as approved by Traditional Owners. 16. Work with Traditional Owners and Sea Rangers to develop appropriate extension material for them to use with a range of audiences including the community, local school and government agencies. 17. Provide Traditional Owners and Sea Rangers with copies of all reports, publications and photographs from the project. 18. Train the Sea Rangers in the use of the MarineWildlife Tracker (see Manual, Appendix 2) so that they have the capacity to conduct systematic marine wildlife surveys independently with the assistance of appropriate training materials, e.g. video (can be done in association with Step 9). 19. Encourage the Sea Rangers to timetable systematic surveys of marine wildlife into their annual work program. 20. Train the Sea Rangers to use spatial risk management techniques to identify hotspots of conservation concern to inform the spatial component of their Sea Country planning. 21. Assist the Sea Rangers to develop protocols for data storage and access. 29

40 Marsh et al. REFERENCES Bannister, J. L., Warneke, R. M., Kemper, C. M. and Australian Nature Conservation Agency (1996) The Action Plan for Australian Cetaceans. Available for download from: Beasley, I., Robertson, K. M. and Arnold, P. (2005) Description of a new dolphin, the Australian Snubfin dolphin Orcaella heinsohni sp. n. (Cetacea, Delphinidae). Marine Mammal Science 21: Bradley, J. (1991) Li-Maramaranja: Yanyuwa hunters of marine animals in the Sir Edward Pellew Group, Northern Territory. Records of the South Australian Museum 25(1): Bradley, J. (1997) Li Anathawirriyuarra, people of the seas: Yanyuwa relations with their marine environment. PhD thesis, Faculty of Arts, Northern Territory University (now Charles Darwin University). Bradley, J., Holmes, M., Marrngawi, D. N., Karrakayn, A. I., Wuwarlu, J. M. and Ninganga, I. (2006) Yumbulyumbulmantha ki-awarawu (All kinds of things from Country), Yanyuwa Ethnobiological Classification, Ngulaig. Monograph series of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit, University of Queensland. Buckland, S. T., Anderson, D. R., Burnham, K. P., Laake, J. L., Borchers, D. L. and Thomas, L. (2004) Advanced Distance Sampling: Estimating Abundance of Biological Populations. Oxford University Press, London, pp Connor, R. C., Mann, J., Tyack, P. L. and Whitehead, H. (1998) Social evolution in toothed whales. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 13: Freeland, W. J. and Bayliss, P. (1989) The Irrawaddy River dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) in the coastal waters of the Northern Territory; abundance and seasonal changes. Mammalia 53:

41 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins Frère, C. H., Hale, P. T., Porter, L., Cockcroft, V. G. and Dalebout, M. L. (2008) Phylogenetic analysis of mtdna sequences suggests revision of Humpback dolphin (Sousa spp.) taxonomy is needed. Marine and Freshwater Research 59: Gerrodette, T. (1987) A power analysis for detecting trends. Ecology 68: Grech, A. and Marsh, H. (2007) Prioritising areas for dugong conservation in a marine protected area using a spatially explicit population model. Applied GIS 3: Havemann, P., Thiriet, D., Marsh, H. and Jones C. (2005) Decolonising conservation? Traditional use of marine resources agreements and dugong hunting in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Environmental & Planning Law Journal 22: Hodgson, A. (2007) The distribution, abundance and conservation of dugongs and other marine megafauna in Shark Bay Marine Park, Ningaloo Reef Marine Park and Exmouth Gulf. Report to the Western Australia Department of Environment and Conservation, September IUCN (2009) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed 22 December Available online at: Jackson, M., Burton, D. and Kennett, R. (2009) The I-Tracker report. A review of the collection and management program across northern Australia. Northern Australia Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance, Knowledge Series, 004/2009. Lerczak, J. and Hobbs, R. (1998) Calculating sighting distances from angular readings during shipboard, aerial and shore-based marine mammal surveys. Marine Mammal Science 14:

42 Marsh et al. Marsh, H., Freeland, W. J., Limpus, C. J. and Reed, P. C. (1986) The stranding of dugongs and sea turtles resulting from cyclone Kathy, March 1984: A report on the rescue effort and the biological data obtained Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory, Darwin. Technical Report No. 25, pp. 60. Marsh, H., Penrose, H. and Eros, C. (2003) A future for the dugong. In: Gales, N., Hindell, M. and Kirkwood, R. (eds.) Marine Mammals: Fisheries, Tourism and Management Issues. CSIRO Publishing, Victoria, p Marsh, H., Lawler, I., Hodgson, A. and Grech, A. (2006) Is dugong management in the coastal waters of urban Queensland effective species conservation? Final Project Report to the Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF), North Queensland ( Marsh, H., Hodgson, A., Lawler, I., Grech, A. and Delean, S. (2007) Condition, status and trends and projected futures of the dugong in the Northern Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait; including identification and evaluation of the key threats and evaluation of available management options to improve its status. Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF) Research Report Series. Report No. 5 available for download at: Marsh, H., Grech, A., Hodgson, A. and Delean, S. (2008) Distribution and abundance of the dugong in Gulf of Carpentaria waters: A basis for cross-jurisdictional conservation planning and management. Final Report, ACAMMS project. Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Hobart. Parra, G. J. (2006) Resource partitioning in sympatric delphinids: Space use and habitat preferences of Australian Snubfin and Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins. Journal of Animal Ecology 75:

43 Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins Parra, G. J. and Arnold, P. (2008) The Australian Snubfin Dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni. In: The Mammals of Australia (Ed. Van Dyck, S. and Strahan, R.), New Holland Publishers, Sydney, Australia. Parra, G. J. and Ross, G. (2009) The Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphin, Sousa chinensis. In: Encyclopaedia of Marine Mammals (Eds. Perrin, W., Würsig, B. and Thewissen, J.), Elsevier Press. Parra, G. J., Azuma, C., Preen, A. R., Corkeron, P. J. and Marsh, H. (2002) Distribution of Irrawaddy dolphins, Orcaella brevirostris, in Australian waters. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 10: Parra, G. J., Corkeron, P. J. and Marsh, H. (2004) The Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphin, Sousa chinensis (Osbeck, 1765), in Australian waters: A summary of current knowledge. Aquatic Mammals 30: Parra, G. J., Schick, R. S. and Corkeron, P. J. (2006a) Spatial distribution and environmental correlates of Australian Snubfin and Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins. Ecography 29: Parra, G. J., Corkeron P. J. and Marsh, H. (2006b) Population sizes, site fidelity and residence patterns of Australian Snubfin and Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins: Implications for conservation. Biological Conservation 129: UN (2007) United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Available at 33

44 Marsh et al. APPENDICES See files provided on enclosed CD. Appendices 4 and 5 are also included in hard copy as part of this report. Appendix 1: Appendix 2: Appendix 3: Appendix 4: Appendix 5: Community Engagement Tool for Sea Country Planning Manual... CD MarineWildlife-Tracker Manual... CD Yanyuwa Sea Country Marine Wildlife Surveys PowerPoint Presentation... CD Jangambala-kunkumanji antha kulu waliyangu nguthundarki poster prepared for school and community groups... Page 35 + CD Wurralngu nyuwu-mangaji ki-anthawu liyi-yanyuwawu poster prepared for school and community groups... Page 36 + CD 34

45 The dots on the maps will assist the Yanyuwa families and the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers manage dolphins, dugongs and sea turtles in the Yanyuwa Sea Country. Waliki Dolphins June 2009: Traditional Owners, li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers and community members put dots on maps to show where dolphins, dugongs and sea turtles are found in Yanyuwa Sea Country. Miriyi (bottlenose dolphin) Wundumarlamarla (snubfin dolphin) Waliki (dugong) a-bumirri (humpback dolphin) unknown dolphin waliki Wuy Wur Mam Wuy Rru Wur This is where the li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers and university researchers found dolphins and dugongs. transects wundumarlamarla a-bumirri miriyi Wur Rru Legend Wur Rru Mam Wur Wur Wur: Wurdaliya Wuy: Wuyaliya Rru: Rrumburriya Mam: Mambaliya-Wawukarriya The survey team recorded information using CyberTracker. November 2009: The li-anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers and university scientists conducted a vessel survey of dolphins, dugongs and sea turtles using A-Wurrarumu. Jangambala-kunkumanji antha kulu waliyangu nguthundarki Yarrbanthawu ki-miriyiyu: Looking for Dolphins 35

46 36 Rrumburriya Miriyi (bottlenose) Wurdaliya Malurrba (green turtle) Wurdaliya Karrubu (hawksbill) Wur Rru Wuy Rru Rru Rru Wur Rru Mam Vanderlin Island Wur Wur Liyarnbi (olive ridley) Mam Centre Island Wur Wurdaliya Rru Wur Wuy Wuy Wur: Wurdaliya Wuy: Wuyaliya Rru: Rrumburriya Mam: Mambaliya-Wawukarriya Wur Rru Rrumburriya a-bumirri (humpback) Wurdaliya Wirndiwirndi (flatback) Wundumarlamarla (snubfin) Rrumburriya Mambaliya-Wawukarriya Limarrwurrirri (loggerhead) Wurralngu nyuwu-mangaji ki-anthawu liyi-yanyuwawu Rrumburriya Waliki (dugong) Marsh et al.