Declared Fish Habitat Area summary - Cattle-Palm creeks

Mouth of Cattle Creek

Mouth of Cattle Creek

Location

Palm, Orient, Cattle and Eleanor creeks and tributaries, and adjoining foreshores approximately 25 km south of Ingham.

Plan number

FHA-074 (PDF, 528.7KB)

Size

7,115 ha

Management level

B

Declaration dates

19 November 1983 (original declaration)
19 December 2003 (redeclared to cadastral boundaries)
11 November 2011 (redeclared combining both Cattle Creek and Palm Creek FHAs)

Local government

Hinchinbrook Shire Council

Management features

Protection of important fish habitat; wetland buffer zone from rural development; protection of important fisheries habitat including juvenile barramundi habitat.

Habitat values

Extensive stands of Rhizophora and Avicennia, and Acanthus; saltmarshes associated with estuaries; tidal channels and flats; shallow watercourses; seagrass beds at creek mouth of Palm and Cassidy creeks.

Fisheries values

One of Queensland’s most productive barramundi breeding habitats; major Spanish mackerel spawning area (offshore); recreational fishing; barramundi, blue salmon, bream, estuary cod, flathead, grey mackerel, grunter, mangrove jack, queenfish, school mackerel, tiger prawns.

Unique features

Extensive freshwater wetlands upstream. Melaleuca wetlands adjacent.

Other values

None presently identified.