Declared Fish Habitat Area summary - Fitzroy River

Location

Parts of the Fitzroy River estuary, Raglan Creek and the wetland systems surrounding North Curtis Island and within the Fitzroy delta south-east of Rockhampton.

Plan number

FHA-072 (PDF, 2.7MB) (Revision 1)

Size

77,878 ha

Management level

A

Declaration dates

28 March 2008 (original declaration)

30 September 2016 (redeclared to include Balaclava Island and areas within the Fitzroy delta).

Local government

Livingstone Shire Council/Rockhampton Regional Council/Gladstone Regional Council

Management features

Management of highly productive fisheries area.

Habitat values

Extensive saltpans and saline grasslands fed by mangrove-lined creeks; closed mixed-species mangrove forests dominated by Grey mangrove (Avicennia marina), Spotted or Red mangrove (Rhizophora stylosa) and Spurred mangrove (Ceriops tagal); mud and sand flats; rocky headlands and brackish lagoons.

Fisheries values

Commercial, recreational and Indigenous fisheries resources; mud crab; barramundi; banana prawns; king salmon; blue salmon; sea mullet; grunter and shark.

Unique features

The Fitzroy River delta is the end point of the largest river system in Queensland; southern distributional limit of Sea Holly or Holly mangrove (Acanthus ilicifolius). Lies within and adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and the Capricorn coast net-free fishing zone.

Other values

None presently identified.

Further references

Bruinsma, C 2000, Queensland coastal wetland resources: Sand Bay to Keppel Bay, Information Series QI00100, Queensland Department of Primary Industries.

Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing 2014, Fisheries resources of Balaclava Island, Fitzroy River: Central Queensland (PDF, 4.6MB) .

Long, P & McKinnon, S 2002, Habitats and fisheries resources of the Fitzroy River estuary (Central Queensland), Queensland Department of Primary Industries.

Richardson, D & Jones, C 2015, Assessment of sub-tidal habitats at Cawarral Creek, Calliope River and Balaclava Island – Final Report (PDF, 711.6KB) , BMT WBM Pty Ltd (Executive Summary – full report can be obtained by emailing marine.policy@des.qld.gov.au).

Sheaves, M, Johnston, R & Mattone, C 2014, Balaclava Island 2014 fish survey (PDF, 1.1MB) , School of marine and tropical biology, James Cook University.