Cawarral Creek declared Fish Habitat Area

Location and plan number

  • Cawarral and Coorooman creeks, 10km south of Emu Park, 45km east of Rockhampton
  • Plan number: FHA-050 (Revision 1)
  • Livingstone Shire Council

Size and management level

  • 3,130 ha – Management A.

Declaration history

  • 9 December 1994: Original declaration.
  • 19 December 2003: Redeclaration:
    • clarify boundaries.
  • 11 November 2011: Redeclaration:
    • add adjoining fish habitats.

Management features

  • Protection of high-quality unimpacted estuarine fisheries habitat.
  • Protection of fish spawning, nursery and grow-out habitat.

Habitat values

  • Tidal creeks dominated by mangroves (Rhizophora, with patchy Avicennia and Ceriops)
  • Estuary dominated by saltmarsh and intertidal flats
  • Rocky structures
  • Undercut and overhanging waterway banks
  • Marine and freshwater swamps and lagoons
  • Sand and pebble beaches.

Fisheries values

  • One of 2 major destinations for recreational fishers on the Capricorn Coast.
  • Indigenous fishing.
  • Species:
    • Barramundi
    • Blue salmon
    • Bream
    • Estuary cod
    • Flathead
    • Grey mackerel
    • Grunter
    • Jewfish
    • King salmon
    • Mangrove jack
    • Queenfish
    • Sea mullet
    • School mackerel
    • Whiting
    • Mud crab
    • Banana prawns.

Unique features

  • Adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
  • Within the Capricorn Coast net-free fishing zone.

Other values

  • None presently identified.

References