An investigation of Indigenous knowledges and nutritional health and wellbeing benefits and values of seafood for supporting Indigenous fisheries development

Development of Aboriginal fishing businesses in the Northern Territory, Australia are aiming to improve the livelihoods of community members through providing access to a nutritious, diverse and culturally significant food supply. This provides the wider community with the possibility to purchase and consume a local food source that consist of high-quality protein and are rich in key nutrients that are essential for human development and function. While several scientific studies have identified the biochemical pathways of seafood consumption and the associated health benefits, limited empirical evidence has supported an Indigenous Knowledges interpretation of the nutrition, health and wellbeing benefits of seafood. The research project is addressing this knowledge gap through a multi-dimensional approach. This includes a qualitative study design guided by Indigenous research methodologies aimed at understanding a localised Aboriginal representation and connection to the nutritional health and wellbeing values and meanings of seafood. The objectives are:

1. To document Indigenous knowledges on the understanding of the nutritional health and wellbeing benefits and the value and meanings of locally caught and consumed seafood;
2. To develop outputs (e.g. poster, booklet) based on Aboriginal knowledge and nutrition profiling of identified seafood species for inter-generational knowledge transfer;
3. To develop a conceptual framework to bring together and represent the components and values of Indigenous knowledges of the nutritional health and wellbeing benefits of seafood.

The project will bring together two knowledge systems to better understand the wider nutritional, health and wellbeing benefits of seafood for Aboriginal Peoples. As requested by the Traditional Owner’s in the research project design important outputs include the creation of educational resources to be used as tools to pass on intergenerational knowledge. It is anticipated that the study findings will also help to inform policy makers, government, non-government organisations and Aboriginal communities with recommendations on how to strengthen future policy to support Indigenous fisheries, access to country and fisheries to improve health outcomes. The outcome of the research will contribute new knowledge to ensure the development of Indigenous fisheries is sensitive to health, nutritional and wellbeing values and meanings of culturally important seafood. This research project is funded by the Fisheries Research Development Corporation (FRDC project 2019-143) on behalf of the Australian Government and is being implemented in partnership with Monash University, Charles Darwin University and Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation and Traditional Aboriginal Owners from the Maningrida region in the Northern Territory.