Declared Fish Habitat Area summary - Escape River
Location
20km south of Cape York, includes the southern part of Newcastle Bay, mouth of Escape River and Jacky Jacky Creek.
Plan number
Size
27,506 ha
Management level
A
Declaration dates
19 November 1983 (original declaration)
1 July 2010 (redeclared to cadastral boundaries and redefine seaward boundary)
Local government
Torres and Cook shire councils
Management features
Conservation and management of essential fish habitat; conservation of commercial, recreational and Indigenous fisheries resources; Department of Primary Industries survey stations sampled in the 1980s at the mouth of Escape River and upstream.
Habitat values
Extensive closed mangrove forest (Rhizophora) interspersed with small patches of open mangroves (Avicennia and Ceriops species); seagrass beds between Turtle Island and mainland.
Fisheries values
Important pearl culture area in Queensland; important barramundi and commercial prawn habitat; important recreational usage from Cape York including fishing safaris; barramundi, blue salmon; grey mackerel; queenfish; grunter; mangrove jack; mud crabs; brown tiger, endeavourand western king prawns; pearl oysters.
Unique features
Escape River–Kennedy Inlet system has the most extensive stand of medium-tall mangroves in Queensland. Within and adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
Other values
Important dugong, turtle and estuarine crocodile habitat.