In recent weeks there has been media coverage regarding the issue of traditional hunting and for the purposes of ensuring clear understanding of the issue it is necessary for writers and readers to understand the difference between legal and illegal take.

Illegal take occurs when hunting is carried out by a person who does not have native title rights or permission to hunt. Allegations of illegal hunting of dugongs and marine turtles are treated as a high priority issue requiring investigation under both the Commonwealth Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 and the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. Persons wishing to report suspected incidents of illegal take are encouraged to contact the Field Management Compliance Coordination Unit of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority on (07) 4726 0588.

It is important to note that Traditional Owners and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority are very concerned over the issue of illegal hunting of marine turtles and dugongs in the Marine Park and work closely together to stamp out illegal activities.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have a close connection to the Great Barrier Reef and traditional use is an important part of their culture and customs. Aboriginal groups have lived adjacent to the Queensland coast for in excess of 40,000 years with the Reef representing a great part of their culture and spirituality while providing food. Today, while Traditional Owners live a more modern lifestyle, they still maintain their cultural practices, including traditional hunting.

Existing legislation recognises the long-standing connection Traditional Owners have to their land and sea country, with the rights of Traditional Owners upheld under the Native Title Act 1993.  Under this legislation, traditional activities including hunting, collecting and fishing occur widely throughout the Marine Park and Traditional Owners can undertake these activities for the purposes of satisfying personal, domestic or non-commercial communal needs. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning legislation does not override the rights of Traditional Owners upheld under the Native Title Act to hunt, collect, gather and fish in the Marine Park.

Along the Great Barrier Reef coastline some Traditional Owner groups rely on customary and traditional law to manage traditional use of resources, while other Traditional Owner Groups, in conjunction with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management, have developed Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreements (TUMRAs).

Under TUMRAs Traditional Owner groups manage sustainable take of culturally significant animals, take part in assisting with compliance measures and monitor the conditions of plants and animals and human activities in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority works with Traditional Owners and scientists to access the best information available on the population status and threats to culturally important species such as dugongs and green turtles. Based on these data scientists can also provide estimates of the total losses these populations can withstand and still be ecologically sustainable. Traditional Owners use these estimates as the basis for determining ecologically sustainable levels of take for these animals.

In the case of the Low Isles region, the Kuku Yalanji people rely on customary and traditional law as well developing and operating their own hunter identification system to assist with the management of the take of green turtles in their sea country. Representatives from the Kuku Yalanji also investigate other methods of managing the resources in their sea country, such as participating in a workshop held in June this year to assist Traditional Owners, managers and scientists to explore alternate management arrangements for marine turtles and dugongs.

By combining Traditional knowledge and western science best practice management strategies can be developed to manage and ensure the health of the Great Barrier Reef and the species that live within in it.

Scientific information indicates that the green turtle population in the Southern Great Barrier Reef, an area that includes the Low Isles Port Douglas region, is stable. However the population is vulnerable to a range of impacts including boat strike, habitat degradation, by-catch, pollutants, marine debris and disease.

In light of this situation, current responsible hunting by Traditional Owners is considered to be sustainable, provided other threats, including illegal hunting are addressed.