Princess Charlotte Bay declared Fish Habitat Area

Location and plan number

  • 180km north-west of Cooktown, across Princess Charlotte Bay between Claremont Point and Bathurst Head and tidal parts of adjoining waterways
  • Plan number: FHA-043
  • Cook Shire Council

Size and management level

  • 122,530 ha – Management A.

Declaration history

  • 19 November 1983: Original declaration.
  • 1 July 2010: Redeclaration:
    • to cadastral boundaries and extended seaward.

Management features

  • Protection and conservation of barramundi habitat and associated wetlands.
  • Department of Primary Industries survey stations in the Marrett, Normanby, Bizant and Kennedy rivers and at Bathurst Head supported the original declaration.
  • Seaward boundary aligned with trawl closure boundary for ease of boundary identification.

Habitat values

  • Closed mixed-mangrove forests (Ceriops along tidal creeks)
  • Open mangrove stands (Avicennia)
  • Tall, closed mangrove stands (Rhizophora)
  • Extensive salt pans and coastal seagrass beds
  • Tidal sand and mud flats
  • Rocky headlands at Bathurst Head have fringing reefs.

Fisheries values

  • Commercial, recreational and Indigenous fisheries significance.
  • Major recreational barramundi fishery in the hinterland.
  • Species:
    • Blue salmon
    • Grey mackerel
    • Queenfish
    • Grunter
    • Mangrove jack
    • Tiger prawns
    • Mud crab.

Unique features

  • Some of the most diverse seagrass beds are between Cairns and Cape York.
  • The shoreline of Princess Charlotte Bay is one of the largest tidal wetland areas in Australia.
  • Lies within and adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

Other values

  • Adjoining freshwater lagoons and billabongs in some areas.