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48 that was tagged in July 2004 at the Barrage was recently (May 2005) caught below the Barrage and has thus been trapped for almost a year. We also caught this same fish in November 2004 at the Barrage, as well as two others that were tagged in July 2004. High numbers of Bull Sharks congregate below the Barrage and this aggressive species poses a threat to both the upstream migrations of many species as well as being a danger to people swimming. One Bull Shark was found to consume a small sawfish. Isotope analysis of the fishes below the Barrage has also demonstrated that Bull Sharks are a major predator of sawfish. In some years this barrier to fish migrations may decimate year classes of Barramundi that move upstream after each wet, only to become trapped and predated on. Recreational fishing is also popular at the Barrage, and the majority of sawfish captured there have line tangled around their rostrum. A study of the Bull Shark biology is currently being undertaken. 4. Northern River Shark During the Fitzroy Fish Project the Northern River Shark was found near the mouth of the river. This species was not previously know from Western Australia, and only 8 individuals were known to science, 3 from the Fly River in Papua New Guinea and 5 from the Adelaide and East Alligator rivers in the Northern Territory. The species is listed as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List 2003 and Endangered in Australia under the EPBC Act 1999. The five males and two females captured ranged in length from 906 to 1418 mm TL, weighed between 5150 and 18640 g and had a vertebral count range outside that previously reported for the species, i.e. 142-151 compared to 147-148. The unusually high incidence of fused vertebrae and spinal deformation in this population may suggest a small gene pool of the species in King Sound. The presence of a small eye, large dorsal and pectoral fins, and well defined sensory ampullae may be reflective of living in an environment subjected to extreme turbidity and flows. 5. King Edward River Fish Project During 2004 and 2005, 42 sites on the King Edward River and Carson River and their tributaries were sampled for fish. During these field trips the language names for the fish were sourced from elders from the Belaa and Ngarinyin people of the region. The results of this study have revealed that the freshwater fish species diversity of the King Edward River is higher than has previously been recorded for a Western Australian river. Twenty-six freshwater fish species were recorded, which is three species higher than the much larger Fitzroy River in the southern Kimberley. The study also resulted in a number of range extensions, including Butler’s Grunter and Silver Cobbler to the west, and the Slender Gudgeon to the north and east. What appears to be an undescribed species of glassfish was captured. Interestingly, a considerable proportion of Black Bream (Jenkin’s Grunter), which are widespread throughout the system but are essentially restricted to main channel sites, had ‘blubber-lips’. There were significant differences in the prevailing fish fauna of the different reaches of the King Edward River system. Thus, fish associations in the upper King Edward River main channel were significantly different to those in tributary sites and from the main channel of the Carson River. Similarly, the fauna of the Carson River, which was much more diverse than the King Edward River main channel and tributary sites, was characterised by many species that were not found in other parts of the river. The presence of barriers, in the form of waterfalls, which do not permit upstream migrations in fishes are considered to be the main factor in limiting the distribution of many species. Some species tend to only be found within tributary sites, e.g. Kimberley Mogurnda, while others are most abundant in tributaries rather than main channel sites, e.g. Western Rainbowfish and Spangled Perch. Waterfalls are also seen as limiting the number of migratory marine/estuarine species that enter freshwaters of this river. For example, only three species that complete their life-cycle in salt water were captured in the freshwaters of the King Edward River system, compared to 14 species that utilise the freshwaters of the Fitzroy River. While many of the Ngarinyin names for fish of the Fitzroy River were reported in the Fitzroy Fish Project, the two river systems do not share all species and only 18 of the 23 species were named in that study. However, during this project, Pansy Nulgit provided names of fish not previously
ecorded. Dolores Cheinmora and Agnes Charles provided the Belaa names for fish. The names of 16 freshwater fishes and two marine fishes were identified in the Belaa language and classified according to noun class. A poster of the fishes of the King Edward River with the Belaa names and Ngarinyin names has been produced. Further projects A number of studies are ongoing and include the: Diets of Fishes in the Fitzroy River; Biology of Barramundi in the Fitzroy River; Biology of Dwarf Sawfish in the Fitzroy River; Description of Fitzroy River Glassfishes; Biology of Bull Sharks in the Fitzroy River. Publications from the studies Morgan, D., Allen, M., Bedford, P. & Horstman, M. (2002). Inland fish fauna of the Fitzroy River Western Australia (including the Bunuba, Gooniyandi, Ngarinyin, Nyikina and Walmajarri names). Report to the Natural Heritage Trust. December 2002. Project Number 003123. Morgan, D., Allen, M., Bedford, P. & Horstman, M. (2004). Fish fauna of the Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia – including the Bunuba, Gooniyandi, Ngarinyin, Nyikina and Walmajarri Aboriginal names. Records of the Western Australian Museum 22: 147-161. Morgan, D., Sefton, M., Cheinmora, D, Charles, G. & Nulgit, P. (2005). Fishes of the King Edward and Carson Rivers, Kawii manya Mararran – nûngka, with the Belaa and Ngarinyin names for the fish. Report to Land & Water Australia. Thorburn, D., Morgan, D., Gill, H., Johnson, M., Wallace-Smith, H., Vigilante, T., Croft, I. & Fenton, J. (2004). Biology and cultural significance of the freshwater sawfish (Pristis microdon) in the Fitzroy River Kimberley, Western Australia. Report to the Threatened Species Network. Thorburn, D.C. & Morgan, D.L. (2004). The northern river shark Glyphis sp. C (Carcharhinidae) discovered in Western Australia. Zootaxa 685: 1-8. Thorburn, D.C. & Morgan, D.L. (2005). Threatened fishes of the world: Glyphis sp. C (Carcharhinidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 73: 140. Thorburn, D.C. & Morgan, D.L. (2005). Threatened fishes of the world: Pristis microdon (Pristidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 72: 465-466. 49
Page 1 and 2: Kimberley Appropriate Economies Rou
Page 3: Kimberley Appropriate Economies Rou
Page 6 and 7: Why would you? The first three word
Page 8 and 9: From our culture, we have certain r
Page 10 and 11: We have won some battles, at least
Page 12 and 13: INTRODUCTION The Kimberley Appropri
Page 14 and 15: appropriate development in the regi
Page 16 and 17: SUMMARY OF WHAT HAPPENED AT THE ROU
Page 18 and 19: Pastoralism Workshop Danielle Eyre,
Page 20 and 21: actions to come out of the Roundtab
Page 22 and 23: OUTCOMES There were two main Outcom
Page 24 and 25: in the Kimberley with rules based o
Page 26 and 27: Research Action 2 Action 3 the regi
Page 28 and 29: Action 9 Tour operators from the Fi
Page 30 and 31: 26 Projects or enterprises that ach
Page 33 and 34: APPENDIX A PAPERS PRESENTED AT THE
Page 35 and 36: And sometimes people like myself an
Page 37 and 38: forgetting that intrinsic value tha
Page 39 and 40: Keynote Address Wayne Bergmann, Exe
Page 41 and 42: Is there a role for Aboriginal know
Page 43 and 44: Ian Lowe President, Australian Cons
Page 45 and 46: Address by Tom Birch Chairman, Kimb
Page 47 and 48: Address by Pat Lowe, Founding Membe
Page 49 and 50: In recent years, Aboriginal people
Page 51: from the freshwaters of the river.
Page 55 and 56: development of the area. Failures i
Page 57 and 58: 3b. Vegetation change The loss of s
Page 59 and 60: The Future The entire river system,
Page 61 and 62: Woirnarski, J.C.Z. (1992).Introduct
Page 63: 4. Recent photo of the same locatio
Page 73: APPENDIX C KIMBERLEY APPROPRIATE EC
Page 78 and 79: 74 Don Henry ......................
Page 80 and 81: 76 APPENDIX F TABLE OF PRESENTERS
Page 82 and 83: 78 APPENDIX H ROUNDTABLE SPONSORS A
Page 84: KIMBERLEY APPROPRIATE ECONOMIES ROU

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