Declared Fish Habitat Area summary - Balban Dara Guya (Leekes Creek) Fish Habitat Area
Chocolate Rocks, Leekes Beach
Location
Leekes Creek is on Great Keppel Island, 50km north
east from Rockhampton and 22km south east from
Yeppoon.
Plan number
Size
876ha
875ha management A
1ha management B
Management level
A and B.
Declaration date
30 September 2016 (original declaration).
Local government
Livingstone Shire Council.
Management features
Management B areas are in place to provide for future limited infrastructure for the Keppel Island Traditional Owners, the Woppaburra.
The management A area is to protect the essential and interconnecting habitats of Leekes Creek, Half Tide Rocks, Passage Rocks and Big Peninsular.
Habitat values
Diverse array of essential fish habitats; rocky structure; intertidal flats; coral; mangrove communities and saltmarsh. Leekes Creek is likely to be an important spawning area in summer and an important migratory pathway for fish using offshore reefs.
Fisheries values
Conservation of commercial, recreational and Indigenous fishing grounds; barramundi; bream; estuary cod; flathead; garfish; mangrove jack; sea mullet; golden trevally; moses perch; spotted javelinfish; whiting; penaeid prawns; mud and blue swimmer crabs.
Other values
Protects important cultural heritage sites within its boundaries.
Further references
Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing 2014, Fisheries resources of Leekes Creek, Great Keppel Island: Central Queensland .
frc environmental 2015, Leekes Creek estuary and adjacent inshore waters: Habitat assessment , report prepared for Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing.
frc environmental 2015, Leekes Creek estuary: Seasonal fish surveys and seagrass assessment , report prepared for Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing