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Abstract
The Mabo [no. 2] 1992 High Court decision and consequent judicial and
legislative actions resulted in a quantum shift in the recognition of
Indigenous rights in Australia. The Croker Island 1998 decision verifies the
existence of native title rights to the foreshore and marine environment.
Methodologies for valuing Indigenous fisheries are examined in this report.
Unlike those for non-Indigenous uses of fish resources, the methodologies for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander uses are poorly developed. This is
because the legal and institutional framework for Indigenous rights are still
being developed and because this area of economic concern has received
minimal attention from economists.
While a number of steps are taken in this report to facilitate the valuation of
indigenous rights to fish resources, the continuing inadequacies in valuation
methodology emphasises the importance of negotiation in valuation
estimation.