Malgana innovator honoured for merging science and Sea Country knowledge

Professor Michael Wear leads a world-first seagrass restoration project that employs Aboriginal divers, creates sustainable livelihoods, and revives cultural connections to the ocean.

Malgana Traditional Custodian Professor Michael Wear leads a world-first seagrass restoration project at Shark Bay through his enterprise Tidal Moon. (Image: Supplied) Credit: Alexandra Bird

A Malgana Traditional Custodian from Shark Bay has been recognised with one of Australia’s top science prizes for bringing Indigenous knowledge systems to the forefront of marine conservation.

Professor Michael Wear has received the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems for his pioneering work combining traditional knowledges and modern science to protect Sea Country.

As founder of Tidal Moon, Australia’s first Indigenous-owned and led sea cucumber fishery and marine restoration enterprise, Professor Wear has built a model that strengthens Country, culture and community through sustainable enterprise.

“We’re saltwater people - we live by the ocean. We have saltwater in our blood,” he said.

“As Malgana people, we’re on a mission to look after Country and make sure Country looks after us.”

Located in Gutharraguda (Shark Bay) on Western Australia’s coast, the region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for hosting the world’s largest seagrass meadows. But a severe marine heatwave in 2011–2012 devastated much of that ecosystem.

Under Professor Wear’s leadership, Tidal Moon has partnered with scientists on a world-first seagrass restoration project, drawing on generations of Aboriginal observation and environmental knowledge.

Aboriginal divers trained through the enterprise play a key role in replanting damaged seagrass beds and monitoring ocean health.

Their work has not only helped restore the seagrass but also created new economic and cultural opportunities for the Malgana community.

“Our divers are combining cultural knowledge with science,” Professor Wear explained.

“We’re collecting data in a way that’s culturally directed - Indigenous people leading the work on Country.”

Tidal Moon’s approach also explores how sustainably harvested sea cucumbers can support biomedical research, creating pathways for future innovation grounded in traditional sea knowledge.

Professor Wear says the recognition is deeply humbling.

“It’s unbelievable to receive this prize. I’m honoured to be the first, but I don’t want to be the last,” he said.

Through his work, Professor Wear continues to prove how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems are vital not just to the past - but to the future of sustainable science and industry.