Elliott River declared Fish Habitat Area

Location and plan number

  • Lower parts of the Elliott River, 14km south of Bundaberg
  • Plan number: FHA-052 (Revision 1)
  • Bundaberg Regional Council

Size and management level

  • 774 ha – Management A.

Declaration history

  • 19 December 2003: Original declaration.
  • 29 March 2024: Redeclaration, effective from 21 May 2024 revised to:
    • enlarge the exclusion areas over the water pipeline that extends from Riverview to Elliott Heads
    • expand the existing exclusion for the aquaculture facility at Melcer Road
    • exclude the area within 30m of the public boat ramps or boating infrastructure near Peagam and Hall Streets at Riverview
    • exclude some areas of non-tidal land.

Management features

  • Management of important nursery grounds for local and regional fisheries.
  • Protection of a range of near-pristine fisheries habitats in one of the few unimpounded systems of southern Queensland.

Habitat values

  • Mangrove forests (dominated by Avicennia, Rhizophora and Ceriops)
  • Seasonal seagrasses (Halophila and Zostera)
  • Intertidal sand and mud banks
  • Rock bars.

Fisheries values

  • Recreational, commercial and Indigenous fishing.
  • Species:
    • Flathead
    • Whiting
    • Bream
    • Barramundi
    • Estuary cod
    • Sweetlip
    • Mullet
    • King prawns
    • Tiger prawns
    • Banana prawns
    • Mud crabs
    • Sand crabs.

Unique features

  • One of the few coastal systems in southern Queensland not regulated by weirs, dams, or other impoundment structures, providing unimpeded connectivity between estuarine and freshwater habitats.

Other values

  • None presently identified.

References

  • McKinnon, S, Lupton, C and Beumer, J 2002, Declaration of Elliott River Fish Habitat Area, Final Report for Project MPA 31420.