OzFish’s work on Australia’s waterways is on the country of our First Nations peoples. We pay respect to their longstanding custodianship of this land. We acknowledge the deep connection and understanding they have with our waterways and our fish as we seek their support, advice, and approval for our stewardship actions.
OzFish recognises that greater habitat action and value can be created, and new insights gained when OzFish projects are interwoven with the knowledge, perspectives, capacity, and capability of this country’s original fishers, fish habitat scientists and environmental stewards.
OzFish utilises traditional and modern knowledge, in turn applying it firsthand to our scientific monitoring, as well as planning for and implementing restoration works.
OzFish recognises that First Nations people have lost many of the places that were most significant to them for fishing, for their spiritual connection to country and for food sources. OzFish sets out to restore these places alongside First Nations groups, including habitat, fish traps, songlines, meeting places, yarning circles, protect middens, waterway related artwork, festivals and stories, re-establishing traditional woven fish basket materials and more.
We celebrate and embrace indigenous art, dance and ceremony in as many of our works and events as possible.
OzFish employs River Culture Officers to work in our team and with volunteers to broker the knowledge across cultures in citizen science, habitat restoration, and restoration of culturally important places to indigenous fishing. It is our intention to employ an Officer in every indigenous community where we have considerable activities underway. River Culture Officers will continue to be part of our growth planning as OzFish moves into and becomes established in new regions across Australia.