Co-design and Traditional Owner participation in an assessment of abundance and size of Donax deltoides (garlaany, pipi) in Ngambaa Country, New South Wales, Australia

Jade Fredericks; Hannah B. Smith; Kirsten Benkendorff; Anna Scott; Karina C. Hall

doi:10.1071/MF23235

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Previous Contents Vol 76(1)

Co-design and Traditional Owner participation in an assessment of abundance and size of Donax deltoides (garlaany, pipi) in Ngambaa Country, New South Wales, Australia

Jade Fredericks

^A ^* , Hannah B. Smith ^B , Kirsten Benkendorff

^A , Anna Scott ^A and Karina C. Hall ^A ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A National Marine Science Centre, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, 2 Bay Drive, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Australia.

^B Ngambaa Traditional Owners, Stuarts Point, NSW, Australia.

^C NSW Department of Primary Industries Fisheries, 2 Bay Drive, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: jadefredericks@rocketmail.com

Handling Editor: Rachel Przeslawski

Marine and Freshwater Research 76, MF23235 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF23235

Submitted: 22 November 2023 Accepted: 10 April 2024 Published: 16 January 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

Integration of Indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) and Traditional Owner participation in the co-design of field-sampling techniques can optimise data collection on fisheries resources, that may be under-represented when using conventional scientific knowledge (CSK) alone.

Aims

To co-design an IEK-informed sampling methodology to assess counts and size–frequency distribution of an aggregated sandy shore mollusc, Donax deltoides (garlaany, pipi).

Methods

We worked with Traditional Owners to co-design a sampling regime synonymous with traditional harvesting techniques. This method was then applied to an assessment of D. deltoides on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia, at Stuarts Point Beach, over 13 months from November 2021 to November 2022.

Key results

This co-designed methodology differed from CSK by using non-random site selection and sampling techniques informed by cultural practice. The standardised methodology was repeatable, quantitative and successfully detected significant spatial and temporal variation in D. deltoides counts and size–frequency distribution, as well as correlations with environmental variables.

Conclusions

A co-designed framework that integrates IEK can provide quantitative assessments of counts and size–frequency distributions in an exploited aggregated sandy shore mollusc.

Implications

IEK and Traditional Owner participation can facilitate scientifically rigorous data collection on culturally important species, while fostering stewardship and co-management.

Keywords: bivalve, cultural harvesting techniques, environmental indicators, fisheries assessment, IEK, Indigenous ecological knowledge, infauna, population biology, sandy shores, soft sediment communities.

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