Kalgan River Fishtraps

Statement of Significance

The Kalgan River Fish Traps have cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
They are an important reminder of the traditional Aboriginal way of life prior to the arrival of British settlers to Albany in 1826 and continue to be valued by the traditional owners to the present day.
They represent the traditional owners’ skills and techniques in sustainable food harnessing and environmental management.

Physical Description

This archaeological site is located 500m downstream from the Kalgan Hall (Upper). The location chosen is between the steep north bank and an island in the river where a large natural rock channels the movement of the fish.
The fish traps are stones placed in the bed of the Kalgan river, some form a rough circle with one opening and others are continuous lines across the river. The stones form pockets of water into which the fish could not escape at low tide. The remaining placed stones show the intention of the fish traps although the low walls have been broken down in places.

History

The Kalgan townsite is the site of evidence of continuous occupation of the region by the Noongar people. A date of approximately 18 850 years before the present has been deduced from radiocarbon dating. This site is the location of the lowest ford of the Kalgan River, a spot where many of the main Aboriginal tracks came together.

This was an important spot to the Noongar people because it was the location of the ford and the fish traps. The Kalgan River Fish Traps are about 500 metres downstream from the ford. These traps work with the ebb and flow of the tide up the river. When the tide is high the stones are submerged and fish can swim freely through the area but when the tide is low the stones protrude above the water and fish could be trapped by the enclosures where presumably, they could be easily speared. Many of the traps could have been destroyed during a dredging process to increase the navigability of the river in the early twentieth century.

Replicative experiments were conducted by Bill Ferguson, (in a study on the Mid-Holocene Depopulation of the Australian Southwest in 1985) in an attempt to estimate how long it would take to construct these type of fish traps. Several one metre long sections of the traps were examined to determine approximately how many stones were used to build them. It was estimated between 3,700 and 4,100 stones were in the traps. These stones are immediately available in the riverbed around the traps and after several attempts it was determined one individual would require from 24 to 27 hours of constant and hard labour to build the fish traps as found remaining in 1985.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.