Indigenous fish traps and weirs of Queensland

Abstract

<p>A Queensland state-wide review of coastal and inland fish traps and weirs is undertaken. More than 179 sites are described. For coastal Queensland, it is demonstrated that traps with multiple pens are common in the Torres Strait and at a limited number of locations in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria. Most traps and weirs south of Torres Strait and the Gulf are isolated structures, with traps in most cases having a single pen. Walls of traps are most often in the shape of an arc and found at points and estuaries and only occasionally on open beaches. Some traps and weirs on the coast were built or used by non-Indigenous people, including South Sea Islanders. Less information could be located on traps and weirs of inland Queensland, which appear to have included many organic traps and weirs. It was found that weirs are common east of the Great Dividing Range, while traps were common to the west. The review draws heavily on unpublished data and reports held by the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management. The use of this information along with published sources, theses, explorer's diaries and ethnographic accounts allows a comprehensive overview of available information. Fish traps in particular are often found in coastal zones subject to development pressure and this work provides a baseline resource to generate discussion about research and management of this significant site type in these zones.</p>

Fission, fusion and syncretism

“…Critically, there are no data available for the islands between Mornington/Bentinck and the adjacent mainland coast. Stone-walled tidal fishtraps are a widespread feature of the archaeological record of the Wellesley Islands, with fishtrap complexes on Bentinck Island occurring on average every 900m along the shoreline (Memmott et al 2008;Rowland and Ulm 2011), though no chronological information is available for this site type.…”

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Researching the Intertidal and Marine Archaeology in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland

“…Who was allowed to fish the traps and who contributed to their upkeep? Fish trap studies are a global phenomenon (for British and European examples see Dawson 2004;Jones 1983;Langouët and Daire 2009;Momber 1991;O'Sullivan 2001;Pedersen 1997; from America see Connaway 2007;and Australia see Lane 2009;Rowland and Ulm 2011;Stockton 1982; as well as Godwin 1988 for complex examples from inland waterways). From an archaeological point of view, typology is an important aspect of their study and it is hoped that this paper will contribute to that discussion.…”

Discarding the evidence: The place of natural resources stewardship in the creation of the Peel Island Lazaret Midden, Moreton Bay, southeast Queensland

“…Management and conservation have also extended to marine resources, through the use of fishtraps (e.g. Head, 1989;McNiven, 2004;Rowland and Ulm, 2011); input and output controls on fish harvesting (e.g. Ross and Quandamooka, 1996b;Barker and Ross, 2002); social controls and tenure systems that include marine territory and maritime resource ownership (e.g.…”