Declared Fish Habitat Area summary - Sand Bay
Constant Creek, Sand Bay declared Fish Habitat Area
Location
Sand Bay, 25km north-west of Mackay.
Plan number
FHA-006 (Revision 1)
Size
11,490 ha
Management level
A
Declaration dates
10 May 1986 (original declaration)
23 July 1998 (redeclared to cadastral boundaries)
22 May 2009 (redeclared to include adjoining fish habitats)
Local government
Mackay Regional Council
Management features
Conservation and management of a high diversity of fish habitats which supports local Indigenous, commercial and recreational fisheries; well integrated into regional planning processes including the Mackay, Isaac, Whitsunday Regional Plan and the Water Quality Improvement Plan for the Mackay-Whitsunday Region.
Habitat values
Mangrove-lined creeks (Aegiceras, Avicennia, Ceriops, Excoecaria and Rhizophora species); intertidal flats and seagrass areas.
Fisheries values
Commercial, recreational and Indigenous fishing; barramundi; blue salmon; bream; estuary cod; flathead; grey mackerel; grunter; mangrove jack; queenfish; school mackerel; whiting.
Unique features
Lies within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and Sand Bay dugong protection area.
Other values
Protection of dugong habitat; flatback and green turtle nesting area.