Title

Historical exploitation of dugongs

Objective

To determine the likely impact of the dugong oil industry on dugongs on the east coast of Queensland.

Relevance

Anecdotal information suggests that the decline in dugong numbers along the eastern coast of Queensland has been occurring since European settlement. The dugong oil industry presumably contributed to this decline. An industry to supply dugong oil to non-Indigenous Australians and for export persisted until dugongs were protected in 1967. The production of oil to supply Indigenous communities persisted for some years after that.

Feasibility

Information on the dugong oil industry is found in government records and newspaper files. Most of the records have been collected at James Cook University and by Claire Peterkin, Queensland Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries, Deception Bay, but have not been collated into a coherent whole.

Methodology

Information on the dugong oil industry from government records and newspaper files would be collated and synthesised in a desktop study.

Approximate cost

$5 000 – $10 000

Time required

Six months