Declared Fish Habitat Area summary - Hinchinbrook

Hinchinbrook declared Fish Habitat Area

Hinchinbrook declared Fish Habitat Area

Location

Hinchinbrook Channel, north of Lucinda.

Plan number

FHA-028 (PDF, 560.2KB)  

Size

12,268 ha

Management level

A

Declaration dates

10 June 1971 (original declaration)
19 November 1983 (redeclared to clarify boundaries)
12 August 1999 (redeclared to cadastral boundaries)

Local government

Hinchinbrook Shire Council

Management features

Provides food and shelter for adult and juvenile fish; cooperative management with Traditional Owners.

Habitat values

Extensive stands of mangroves including Avicennia, Bruguiera, Rhizophora and Ceriops; patchy saltmarsh associated with estuary; extensive seagrass beds recorded; deep water channels; island and bank shoals; deltaic mangrove systems.

Fisheries values

Commercial, recreational and Indigenous fishing grounds; major focus of regional recreational fishing; significant banana prawn nursery area; barramundi; blue salmon; bream; estuary cod; grey mackerel; grunter; mangrove jack; queenfish; school mackerel; whiting; blue-legged king prawns; tiger prawns; aquaculture brood and culture stock; banana prawns.

Unique features

The largest tropical estuary of the north-eastern coastal zone; the channel supports the most southerly known occurrence of the Nypa palm, Nypa fruticans.

Other values

Important area for fisheries and fish habitat research.

Further references

Lawrence M, Sully D, Beumer J and Couchman D, 2009, Targeted collection of inventory data for wetlands fish barriers in the Great Barrier Reef Catchment, Final report to the Australian Government, Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.