About ISWAG
ISWAG is the Kimberley Indigenous Saltwater Advisory Group – a regional network of Indigenous saltwater managers from across the Kimberley coast.
ISWAG’s purpose is to empower Kimberley saltwater managers to implement their Healthy Country Plans through collaborative research, policy influence, Traditional Owner-led sea country management, and economic opportunity.
ISWAG acts as the first point of contact for researchers, government agencies and other organisations wanting to work on sea country in the Kimberley – providing a single, coordinated entry point into the network.
An empowered, connected and skilled network of Kimberley Traditional Owner saltwater managers are leading sea country research, management and economies in the Kimberley and demonstrating best practice saltwater management to the world.
ISWAG Vision for 2030
What we do
Sharing
Sharing experiences and best practice between saltwater managers across the Kimberley
Facilitating
Facilitating collaborative regional projects and fee-for-service opportunities
Influencing
Helping saltwater managers assert their authority for Country, locally and regionally
Kimberley Sea Country & Member Boundaries
Our members
Click the logos below to visit our members’ websites, find more resources or contact them directly.
Governance
ISWAG is not a decision-making body. Our authority is limited to what is delegated within individual Sea Country Plans. We are a conduit to our member PBCs and parent organisations, where decisions are required. All PBCs retain authority for activity on their land and sea country.
ISWAG is currently co-hosted by Nyamba Buru Yawuru (NBY) and the Kimberley Land Council (KLC) and is working towards becoming its own incorporated entity.
- ISWAG is not a decision-making body. Our authority is limited to what is delegated within individual Sea Country Plans. We are a conduit to our member PBCs and parent organisations, where decisions are required. All PBCs retain authority for activity on their land and sea country.
- ISWAG is overseen by a Steering Committee made up of representatives from our 11 member PBCs, with strategic leadership from our two Co-Chairs Dean Mathews and Daniel Oades.
- ISWAG is currently co-hosted by Nyamba Buru Yawuru (NBY) and the Kimberley Land Council (KLC) and is working towards becoming its own incorporated entity.
Our History – Over 15 Years in the Making
ISWAG has been operating since 2015, when Traditional Owner groups across the Kimberley came together through the Kimberley Indigenous Saltwater Science Project (KISSP) to build a shared platform for sea country science. That work built on Sea Country Plans and ranger programs stretching back to 2010 – a decade of Traditional Owners investing in the knowledge, tools and relationships needed to look after their Country.
Since then, ISWAG has run annual forums, delivered major regional science projects on turtles and dugong, published best-practice research protocols, and grown to eleven member groups spanning the full length of the Kimberley coast.
The protocols, templates, and contacts that researchers use today are the product of that sustained effort.
The timeline below shows the key milestones. For researchers, it means stepping into an established network – experienced ranger teams, existing research relationships, and a clear process that has been tested and refined over more than a decade of on-Country science.
What this means for researchers
When you follow the Kimberley Saltwater Research process, you are stepping into an established network built over more than a decade of real projects. There are existing protocols, research agreement templates, and contacts – all developed through genuine on-Country collaboration. ISWAG member groups have worked with universities, government agencies and NGOs across Australia and internationally, and the network continues to grow.
Contact Us
To find out more about ISWAG or the application process, contact iswag@yawuru.org.au
