The Torres Strait is home to Eddie Koiki Mabo who was a significant national and international figure in altering the traditional land rights landscape in Australia. The High Court delivered the decision of Mabo and others v Queensland (No.2) in 1992.

To date, 27 native title determinations have been made over the land and waters in the Torres Strait. In 2013, the Federal Court of Australia recognized non-exclusive native title rights over about 37,800sq km of sea in the Torres Strait., including the non-exclusive rights to access, remain in and to use their own marine territories to access and take resources for any purpose, including commercial use.

A complex system of State, Commonwealth and International law governs the interests of Torres Strait Islanders, the Commonwealth government, the State government, commercial industry and Treaty villages in Western Province, Papua New Guinea.

The Torres Strait fishery is managed through the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984. All management arrangement decision making processes are driven through the consultative framework of the Protected Zone Joint Authority (PZJA). The PZJA members are the Federal and State Fisheries Ministers and the Chairperson of the Torres Strait Regional Authority.

Currently there is no independent organisation which represents the grass-roots interests of Torres Strait Islanders within the PZJA. This presentation will provide an account of the Torres Strait Islanders journey thus far including, important aspects of the sea claim, the challenges of independent representation, current research activities which have very little traditional owner renumerated involvement, and what we see are the future impacts for our traditional practices and cultural protocols.