The Talking Fish project covers 12 reaches within the Basin:
\nRecent decades have brought an increasing realisation that the health of the Murray-Darling Basin is at risk. An array of pressures ranging from the over allocation of water resources, poor land management planning and the expansion of primary production have all contributed to declines in river health. Fish and their habitats have been greatly affected by these pressures, with estimates suggesting native fish populations are at 10% of pre-European colonisation levels.
\nAs all levels of government explore options for improving the health of the Murray-Darling Basin, the knowledge held by people within the community who have had a lengthy association with the waterways of the Basin is being increasingly recognised as a valuable resource. People’s lived experience provides a unique insight into how changes in rivers and their associated habitats have occurred over time. Accessing and recording this information will make a significant contribution to our knowledge of the Murray-Darling Basin, and help shape the management decisions of the future to achieve improved river health outcomes.
\nMany different groups of people have developed unique relationships with rivers and their associated environments. The long history of recreational fishing within the Basin has led generations of people to spend substantial amounts of time on or near its rivers. Their desire to experience the river and to catch fish has developed a refined understanding of how fish relate to the riverine environment, and consequently how the changes to these environments have affected the status of native fisheries.
\nSimilarly, Indigenous peoples have relationships with the rivers that stretch back tens of thousands of years before the arrival of European colonisers. This strong and lasting association has also allowed Indigenous peoples to witness contemporary changes to the health of the Basin’s rivers and observe how these changes have influenced fish and their habitats. In addition, landholders, long-time residents, regular tourists and an array of other community stakeholders hold stories and memories of the river that are an invaluable resource for guiding its future management.
\nThe project represents a unique collaboration between some of Australia’s most prominent ecological oral historians (both within tertiary institutions and commercial production companies), all four Basin-state fisheries agencies and regional NRM organisations. The integration of research institutions, government and local community stakeholders provides a diverse and flexible framework to access a wide range of participants and ensure the collection, analysis and presentation of information is in accordance with national and international best practice.
\nThe project delivered a suite of oral history recordings from across the Basin, while also developing communication products in the form of radio features and community booklets. This output was deposited with the Mitchell Library of the State Library of New South Wales and the Australian Torres Strait Islander Digital Archive (ATSIDA). Physical copies are held at the Mitchell Library (Accession Record MLOH 647).
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"]]]]]]]],["itemType",{"itemTypeId":"23"},["name","Study Region"],["description","Geographic areas and Aboriginal peoples languages and communities related to each study area."]],["elementSetContainer",["elementSet",{"elementSetId":"1"},["name","Dublin Core"],["description","The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/."],["elementContainer",["element",{"elementId":"50"},["name","Title"],["description","A name given to the resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"2096"},["text","Darling River - Bourke to Brewarrina"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"46"},["name","Relation"],["description","A related resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"2212"},["text","Frawley, J., Nichols, S., Goodall, H. and Baker, E. (2011). Darling ‐ Brewarrina to Bourke: Talking fish, making connections with the rivers of the Murray‐Darling Basin. Murray‐Darling Basin Authority, Canberra. View or download from publisher..."]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"8447"},["text","http://geonode.research.uts.edu.au/layers/geonode%3Afrawley2012page178"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"81"},["name","Spatial Coverage"],["description","Spatial characteristics of the resource."],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"8439"},["text","Darling River, NSW"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"8440"},["text","Bourke, NSW"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"8441"},["text","Bogan River, NSW"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"8442"},["text","Little Bogan River, NSW"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"8443"},["text","Culgoa River, NSW"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"8444"},["text","Barwon River, NSW"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"8445"},["text","Bokhara River, NSW"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"8446"},["text","Brewarrina, NSW"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"11301"},["text","The Talking Fish project covers 12 reaches within the Basin:
\nRecent decades have brought an increasing realisation that the health of the Murray-Darling Basin is at risk. An array of pressures ranging from the over allocation of water resources, poor land management planning and the expansion of primary production have all contributed to declines in river health. Fish and their habitats have been greatly affected by these pressures, with estimates suggesting native fish populations are at 10% of pre-European colonisation levels.
\nAs all levels of government explore options for improving the health of the Murray-Darling Basin, the knowledge held by people within the community who have had a lengthy association with the waterways of the Basin is being increasingly recognised as a valuable resource. People’s lived experience provides a unique insight into how changes in rivers and their associated habitats have occurred over time. Accessing and recording this information will make a significant contribution to our knowledge of the Murray-Darling Basin, and help shape the management decisions of the future to achieve improved river health outcomes.
\nMany different groups of people have developed unique relationships with rivers and their associated environments. The long history of recreational fishing within the Basin has led generations of people to spend substantial amounts of time on or near its rivers. Their desire to experience the river and to catch fish has developed a refined understanding of how fish relate to the riverine environment, and consequently how the changes to these environments have affected the status of native fisheries.
\nSimilarly, Indigenous peoples have relationships with the rivers that stretch back tens of thousands of years before the arrival of European colonisers. This strong and lasting association has also allowed Indigenous peoples to witness contemporary changes to the health of the Basin’s rivers and observe how these changes have influenced fish and their habitats. In addition, landholders, long-time residents, regular tourists and an array of other community stakeholders hold stories and memories of the river that are an invaluable resource for guiding its future management.
\nThe project represents a unique collaboration between some of Australia’s most prominent ecological oral historians (both within tertiary institutions and commercial production companies), all four Basin-state fisheries agencies and regional NRM organisations. The integration of research institutions, government and local community stakeholders provides a diverse and flexible framework to access a wide range of participants and ensure the collection, analysis and presentation of information is in accordance with national and international best practice.
\nThe project delivered a suite of oral history recordings from across the Basin, while also developing communication products in the form of radio features and community booklets. This output was deposited with the Mitchell Library of the State Library of New South Wales and the Australian Torres Strait Islander Digital Archive (ATSIDA). Physical copies are held at the Mitchell Library (Accession Record MLOH 647).
"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"43"},["name","Identifier"],["description","An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1891"},["text","Australian Research Council Grant ID LP120200117"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"42"},["name","Format"],["description","The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1893"},["text","image/tiff"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1894"},["text","image/jpeg"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1895"},["text","audio/mpeg"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1896"},["text","application/msword"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"45"},["name","Publisher"],["description","An entity responsible for making the resource available"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1897"},["text","University of Technology, Sydney"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"37"},["name","Contributor"],["description","An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1898"},["text","Murray-Darling Basin Authority"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1901"},["text","NSW Fisheries"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"12893"},["text","Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"39"},["name","Creator"],["description","An entity primarily responsible for making the resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1899"},["text","Prof. Heather Goodall"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1900"},["text","Dr Jodi Frawley"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"12892"},["text","Hamish Sewell"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"56"},["name","Date Created"],["description","Date of creation of the resource."],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1902"},["text","Data collected between 2010-07-01 and 2011-06-30."]]]],["element",{"elementId":"46"},["name","Relation"],["description","A related resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1904"},["text","The publication resulting from data collected for Talking Fish is openly accessible and available for download:"]]]]]]]],["itemType",{"itemTypeId":"4"},["name","Oral History"],["description","A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge."],["elementContainer",["element",{"elementId":"2"},["name","Interviewer"],["description","The person(s) performing the interview"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1540"},["text","Hamish Sewell"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"3"},["name","Interviewee"],["description","The person(s) being interviewed"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1541"},["text","Michael Anderson"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"4"},["name","Location"],["description","The location of the interview"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1542"},["text","Hebel, Queensland. Australia"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"11"},["name","Duration"],["description","Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"10272"},["text","00:52:33"]]]]]],["elementSetContainer",["elementSet",{"elementSetId":"1"},["name","Dublin Core"],["description","The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/."],["elementContainer",["element",{"elementId":"50"},["name","Title"],["description","A name given to the resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1525"},["text","Culgoa - Balonne: Oral History of Michael Anderson"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"49"},["name","Subject"],["description","The topic of the resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1526"},["text","Fishes--Identification"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"2588"},["text","Connection to Country"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"2589"},["text","Cultural flows"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"2590"},["text","Dreaming (Spiritual)"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"2591"},["text","Aboriginal kinship systems"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"2592"},["text","Riparian areas--Management"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"2593"},["text","Floods"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"2769"},["text","Dams"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"2770"},["text","Weirs"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"2771"},["text","Cotton"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"4595"},["text","Water allocations"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"4596"},["text","Fishes--Migration"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"4597"},["text","Fishes--Cannibalism"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"4598"},["text","Traditional ecological knowledge"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"4599"},["text","Yuwaalaraay / Euahlayi / Yuwaaliyaay language "]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"4600"},["text","Environmental flows"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"4601"},["text","Ecological sustainability"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"10112"},["text","Aboriginal spirituality"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"10113"},["text","Water--Symbolic aspects"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"10215"},["text","Siltation"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"10217"},["text","Wetlands"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"41"},["name","Description"],["description","An account of the resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1529"},["text","Station-owner and Ualarai man Michael Anderson provides a rich and in-depth interview on his personal experience with the Murray-Darling Basin from his current base by the Bokhara River. As an executive member of the Northern Basins Aboriginal Nations (NBAN) group, Michael is concerned about the health of the basin and wetlands and attributes much of the basin's issues on poor water flows, poor management of available water and the siltation caused as a result. He urges that the wetlands be registered with an international treaty: the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, in order to help ensure its survival.\r\n\r\nMichael explains the cultural and spiritual importance of the river systems to Indigenous peoples, delving into the history, language and stories of his Ualarai people. The changes in the fish population, and the traditional practices of his people that were implicit in the flourishing of the basin prior to colonisation. \r\n\r\nMentioned: water rat, mud crab.\r\n\r\n"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"39"},["name","Creator"],["description","An entity primarily responsible for making the resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1530"},["text","Heather Goodall"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"2595"},["text","Jodi Frawley"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"5815"},["text","Hamish Sewell"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"45"},["name","Publisher"],["description","An entity responsible for making the resource available"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1531"},["text","University of Technology, Sydney"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"40"},["name","Date"],["description","A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1532"},["text","2010-10-13"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"37"},["name","Contributor"],["description","An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1533"},["text","Murray-Darling Basin Authority"]],["elementText",{"elementTextId":"2596"},["text","NSW Department of Primary Industries - NSW Fisheries"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"47"},["name","Rights"],["description","Information about rights held in and over the resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1534"},["text","Copyright University of Technology, Sydney"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"44"},["name","Language"],["description","A language of the resource"],["elementTextContainer",["elementText",{"elementTextId":"1536"},["text","English"]]]],["element",{"elementId":"63"},["name","Access Rights"],["description","Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. 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