For Woppaburra woman Jamiga Cummins, learning the science of coral aquaculture is more than a job.
It connects her own cultural knowledge with her work and gives her the tools to care for her Country.
"To me, it's not just work," Ms Cummins said.
"It's being involved and having family involved in the renewal of coral life … putting into practice our own culture and our science together."
Ms Cummins is an aquaculture assistant with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and has returned to her sea Country off Konomie-North Keppel Island for the annual mass coral spawning event.
"It's really powerful," she said.
"The first few times that I came here as a descendant, it was more of being familiar with Country and getting that connection again.
"Then, sort of unexpectedly, I got involved in the apprenticeship with AIMS."
Floating science lab
Ms Cummins is part of the Woppaburra Coral Project, an Australian Coral Reef Resilience Initiative and partnership between AIMS and BHP.
As part of the project, research into coral seeding is being carried out on a car ferry that's been transformed into a floating laboratory.
AIMS ecologist and lead scientist Carly Randall said it was the first time coral seeding trials were taking place on the reef.
"Some of our previous research on coral seeding has indicated that the sooner we can get corals into the ocean, the better they do," Dr Randall said.
"So this year, we've actually brought the National Sea Simulator to the reef, and we're undertaking the coral spawning work on the vessel right at sea.
"That will allow us to get those corals seated onto the reef as quickly as possible to see if we can increase their chances of survival over holding them in the laboratory."
Dr Randall says coral seeding is a restoration technique where juvenile corals are grown in a lab and put out onto the reef.
"We do this strategically and in locations where coral recovery is lacking following a disturbance event," she said.
"One of the key questions we're trying to address … is how well coral culturing on the vessel works, compared with coral culturing in the ocean.
"So we'll be putting spawn in culture tanks on the vessel and then we'll also be putting that same cohort of corals into rearing pools on the ocean.
"Then we'll track how they do over the next 10 days ahead of settlement."
Partnership opens career pathways
Up to 40 Woppaburra people are participating in the coral seeding research with AIMS over the next month, learning aquaculture techniques to manage their sea Country into the future.
For Woppaburra Elder and AIMS Indigenous Partnerships Coordinator Bob Muir, being involved in decision-making and research projects on Country is crucial.
"Two-way sharing has been really important in the way people are … listening to Woppaburra, and scientists are listening to us," Mr Muir said.
Ms Cummins said she hoped to inspire other First Nations people to get into marine science.
She said bringing the skills she's learned to Country and being able to pass on scientific knowledge to a younger generation was rewarding.
"Being able to explain … a lot of the science for mob, their excitement is wonderful to witness," Ms Cummins said.
Ms Cummins said in accepting the apprenticeship and "learning to be uncomfortable" she was modelling for others to do the same.
"It's showing that if I can do it … [it] has opened up these new pathways," she said.
A hopeful time for reef restoration
Dr Randall said the overall aim of the research was to overcome the bottlenecks faced by corals in their early life stage.
"It's a very challenging time in the stage of a coral's life," she said.
"Work that we undertake will enhance the survival of those corals … to accelerate the recovery and the natural adaptation that happens out on the reef."
Dr Randall says it is a "really exciting and hopeful time" as the project aids the reef to adapt to accelerating climate warming.
"We know that's the greatest threat that the Great Barrier Reef faces and we need to be able to enhance the resilience and the adaptive capacity of reefs," she said.
"The reefs around the Keppels are actually quite resilient so it is a great place for us to undertake this research."
