Declared Fish Habitat Area summary - Susan River

Kangaroo Island, Susan River declared Fish Habitat Area

Kangaroo Island, Susan River declared Fish Habitat Area

Location

Susan River and parts of lower reaches of Mary River, 16 km south-east of Maryborough.

Plan number

FHA-054 (PDF, 795.7KB)

Size

4,839 ha

Management level

A

Declaration dates

10 May 1986 (original declaration)
22 May 2009 (redeclared to cadastral boundaries, adjoining fish habitats included, mooring area excluded)

Local government

Fraser Coast Regional Council          

Management features

Protection of recreational fishing grounds; penaeid prawn and mud crab habitat.

Habitat values

Closed Rhizophora and Avicennia forests; low Ceriops shrubland; intertidal sand flats and claypan; seagrass meadows.

Fisheries values

Recreational, commercial and Indigenous fishing; bream; estuary cod; flathead; garfish; grunter; luderick; mangrove jack; sea mullet; tailor; whiting; banana prawns; mud crabs.

Unique features

Avicennia mangroves in the Susan River declared FHA provide important habitat for the Illidge’s ant-blue butterfly Acrodipsas illidgei, which is listed as vulnerable under Queensland legislation and endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Other values

Dolphin habitat.

Further references

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.