Hinchinbrook declared Fish Habitat Area

Location and plan number

  • Hinchinbrook Channel, north of Lucinda
  • Plan number: FHA-028
  • Hinchinbrook Shire Council

Size and management level

  • 12,268 ha – Management A.

Declaration history

  • 10 June 1971: Original declaration.
  • 19 November 1983. Redeclaration:
    • clarify boundaries.
  • 12 August 1999: Redeclaration:
    • redeclared to cadastral boundaries.

Management features

  • Provides food and shelter for adult and juvenile fish.
  • Important to commercial, recreational and Indigenous fisheries.

Habitat values

  • Extensive stands of mangroves (Avicennia, Bruguiera, Rhizophora and Ceriops)
  • Patchy saltmarsh
  • Extensive seagrass beds
  • Deep water channels
  • Island and bank shoals
  • Deltaic mangrove systems.

Fisheries values

  • Commercial, recreational and Indigenous fishing grounds.
  • Major focus of regional recreational fishing.
  • Significant banana prawn nursery area.
  • Aquaculture brood and culture stock.
  • Species:
    • Barramundi
    • Blue salmon
    • Bream
    • Estuary cod
    • Grey mackerel
    • Grunter
    • Mangrove jack
    • Queenfish
    • School mackerel
    • Whiting
    • Blue-legged king prawns
    • Tiger prawns
    • Banana prawns.

Unique features

  • The largest tropical estuary of the north-eastern coastal zone.
  • The channel supports the most southerly-known occurrence of the nipa palm or mangrove palm (Nypa fruticans)—a type of palm that has adapted to estuarine environments.
  • Lies within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and Hinchinbrook Dugong Protection Area.

Other values

  • Important area for fisheries and fish habitat research.

References

  • Lawrence M, Sully D, Beumer J and Couchman D, 2009, Targeted collection of inventory data for wetlands fish barriers in the Great Barrier Reef Catchment, Final report to the Australian Government, Queensland Department of Primary Industries.