Burrum declared Fish Habitat Area
Location and plan number
- Burrum River and tributaries, including coastal foreshore outside river mouth, 40km north-west of Maryborough
- Plan number: FHA-029 (Revision 2)
- Bundaberg Regional Council and Fraser Coast Regional Council
Management area and size
Total size: 4,432 ha:
- 3,374 ha – Management A
- 1,058 ha – Management B.
Declaration history
- 10 May 1986: Original declaration.
- 19 December 2003: Redeclaration:
- combine Burrum-Isis, Gregory, Cherwell-Burrum, and the northern part of Burrum-Toogoom Fish Habitat Areas.
- 11 December 2015: Redeclaration:
- revoke 2.2 ha area at Burrum Heads for a new public boat ramp.
- 29 March 2024: Redeclaration, effective from 21 May 2024 revised to:
- exclude some areas of non-tidal land and the areas within 30m of the public boat ramps and boating infrastructure along the Burrum Heads foreshore
- slightly modify the boundary of the exclusion areas at Buxton and Walkers Point and the upstream limit of the Fish Habitat Area in the Gregory River, to align with the outer boundary and zone boundaries of the Great Sandy Marine Park.
Management features
- Management B areas form a wetlands buffer zone from regional and rural development for the Management A areas.
- Protection of Burrum, Cherwell, Gregory and Isis River fish habitats.
Habitat values
- Closed mangrove forests (Avicennia, Aegialitis and Rhizophora, with patches of low Ceriops)
- Saltmarsh and seagrass areas
- Intertidal sand flat and shallow littoral areas.
Fisheries values
- Conservation of commercial, recreational and Indigenous fishing grounds.
- Inshore nursery area for fish and crustaceans.
- Species:
- Barramundi
- Bream
- Estuary cod
- Flathead
- Garfish
- Grey mackerel
- Mangrove jack
- Sea mullet
- School mackerel
- Tailor
- Whiting
- Freshwater eels
- Luderick
- Banana prawns
- King prawns
- Mud crabs.
Other values
- Dugong feeding grounds.