Declared Fish Habitat Area summary - Fraser Island

Indian Head, Fraser Island declared Fish Habitat Area

Indian Head, Fraser Island declared Fish Habitat Area

Location

Foreshores of Fraser Island between Moon Point, Sandy Cape and Hook Point.

Plan number

FHA-053 (PDF, 1.7MB)

Size

43,520 ha

Management level

B

Declaration dates

17 November 1983 (original declaration)
28 March 2008 (redeclared to cadastral boundaries and adjoining fish habitats included)

Local government

Fraser Coast Regional Council

Management features

Protection of foreshores for commercial ocean beach and recreational tailor fisheries.

Habitat values

Interface of tropical and temperate floral assemblages and supports a high diversity of mangrove species dominated by Avicennia, Aegiceras, Ceriops and Rhizophora; extensive sheltered tidal flats; steep rocky cliffs; sandy ocean beaches and some freshwater springs.

Fisheries values

Fish communities comprised of tropical and temperate species; bream; estuary cod; flathead; grey mackerel; luderick; mangrove jack; mulloway; sea mullet; school mackerel; spotted mackerel; swallowtail dart; golden trevally; tailor; whiting; eastern king prawns.

Unique features

Best example of a complex of wetlands characteristic of south-east Queensland.

Other values

None presently identified.

Further references

Beumer, J & Halliday, I 1994, Effects of habitat disturbance on coastal fisheries resources of Tin Can Bay/Great Sandy Strait, Report to the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation.

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (in prep), Enhanced management of Ramsar site wetlands within the Great Sandy Strait catchments, Final project report, Queensland Wetlands Program, Brisbane, Queensland. 

Lee Long, W J & O’Reilly, W K 2007, Ecological character description for the Great Sandy Strait RAMSAR site July 2007, Report for the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency