The coastal waters of the Kimberley are home to a diverse assemblage of elasmobranchs assemblages, many of which use nearshore habitats as feeding and nursery areas. For Sea Country managers, understanding the spatial ecology of elasmobranchs is key to preserving culturally important food sources and globally threatened species. Yet, the remote coastline and large tidal range of the Kimberley pose logistical and technical challenges for the deployment of acoustic tracking equipment.
Here, we present some insights and results from the conception, deployment, and testing of an acoustic array in the megatidal environment of Lagrange Bay, Karajarri Sea. Its design factored in local ecological knowledge, sawfish satellite tracking data and Karajarri management priorities. It also integrated environmental considerations critical for the deployment and performance of the receivers and transmitters, including tidal currents, noise, intertidal flats, substrate, turbidity, and extreme weather.
This presentation reflects on a year of cross-cultural collaboration leading to the first operational acoustic array in the intertidal environment of the Kimberley. From co-design to indigenous-led field operations, we discuss examples of success and failure to highlight the critical importance of local ecological knowledge and time spent on Country for the successful implementation of such a study.