Groote Aqua Aboriginal Corporation

Jason Yantarrnga is a senior traditional owner of Groote Eylandt. Most specifically, as Groote Eylandt has 14 different clan, Jason’s country is made up of a significant portion of Groote on the mid-East coast that includes Salt Lake. Salt Lake and Jason’s clan have been part of one of the first international seafood export businesses in Australia. This involved the harvest and processing of sea cucumber into Trepang with Makassans that would sail every year for at least 900 years to the northern parts of Australia, including Groote Eylandt. This trade was abruptly stopped by the Australian government about 100 years ago but Jason and his people want to revive this centuries old trade to sustain the life of his family and future generations well after the GEMCO mine has closed. Today Jason plays a key role working with Groote Aqua Aboriginal Corporation to 1) assess the natural population of sea cucumber on his sea country and 2) develop plans to harvest, breed, grow and process sea cucumber in ways that are in tune with the Anindilyakwa culture and that respect country.