North Queensland supports a vast array of fish habitats that includes Hinchinbrook Channel, the Ramsar listed Bowling Green Bay Wetlands and, of course, the Great Barrier Reef. These and other habitats support a great diversity of fish species, many of which are also common in other waterways throughout the Queensland tropics.
The North QLD OzFish chapter operates from Townsville and our team of volunteers and support staff contribute to waterway monitoring and habitat improvement projects from the Herbert to the lower Burdekin. Members of OzFish North QLD are conducting habitat improvement and monitoring work, including surveying waterways for fish and crustacean diversity, monitoring water quality, removing invasive fish (including tilapia), and improving connectivity in coastal wetlands. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the country we fish on, including the Yuru, Gugu-Badhun, Bindal and Nyawaygi people.
of North QLD are active fishers
helped with the Tilapia fishing event
non-stop water quality logger monitoring
Regional Queensland has some of the highest per capita rates of recreational fishing in Australia—it is estimated that one in five residents of north QLD (~21%) actively participate in fishing. Fishos in north QLD value the improvements to waterways and fish habitat that contribute to the long-term sustainability and productivity of their fisheries.
The North QLD Chapter is comprised of a core group of active fishers who are also active stewards of the local waterways. The group are working on a range of projects that include improving our understanding of water quality in tropical coastal wetlands; monitoring fish movement; pesticide sampling and citizen science fish surveys.
As well as on-ground work to improve fish habitat, the chapter provides representation for recreational fishers and fish habitat issues to a number of regional groups, including local marine advisory committees (LMACs) and the Dry Tropics Partnership for Healthy Waters.
OzFish are actively engaged in a range of fish monitoring activities. Currently, we’re monitoring how fish move through constructed fishways with our project partners, This initiative is designed to improve our understanding of fishway performance and fish movement in urban and agricultural landscapes. These surveys are a great way for our chapter members to get involved in exciting citizen science projects.
Creekwatch is an exciting initiative that encourages rec fishers and the wider community to become custodians of their waterways. OzFish have been running the Creekwatch program since early 2021 and have been thrilled to see the benefits to fish habitat and the wider community. Volunteers are actively involved in fish and water-bug surveys, water quality monitoring and riparian revegetation. These activities provide undeniable environmental benefits whilst empowering community members to achieve ‘local ownership’ of their waterways. Creekwatch was established — and is supported — by Townsville City Council. New volunteers are always welcome to join the weekly activities that we run from Alligator Creek (near Mt Elliot) to Rollingstone and Crystal Creek.
OzFish north QLD have been monitoring water quality in tropical coastal wetlands for the past 2 years. We are collecting data on how water quality changes throughout the year, particularly temperature and dissolved oxygen, which can sometimes be lethal to fish when conditions become extreme. Our water quality logger that is currently deployed in the lower Burdekin is collecting data 24 h a day, 365 days a year. The project is well supported by recreational fishers through essential maintenance activities. The data we collect is helping to improve our understanding of water quality changes in tropical freshwater systems, with the aim of reducing the frequency of fish kills that sometimes occur during the wet season.
Tilapia is one of the most prolific invasive fish species in North Queensland. The OzFish North Queensland team are doing their bit to combat this issue by organising tilapia fishing competitions in Townsville, Innisfail and Cairns. These events are a fantastic opportunity to educate rec fishos and the broader community about the impacts of pest fish. Our tilapia fishing competitions have the support of local councils and are well supported by the local community. We provide support to Cassowary Coast Council’s annual tilapia fishing competition in Innisfail, which is one of the largest and most successful of these events in QLD. We have also run a tilapia fishing competition at Idalia (Townsville) which was attended by >100 fishos, and we’ve removed tilapia and other invasive fish from waterways around Cairns using a backpack electrofishing.
Through our partnership with RMIT’s Pesticide Detective program, OzFish has collected sediment samples from waterways in the lower Herbert and Moresby Rivers in tropical north QLD. Samples have been analysed and the results are available to view on the Pesticide Detective website.
North Queensland supports a vast array of fish habitats that includes Hinchinbrook Channel, the Ramsar listed Bowling Green Bay Wetlands and, of course, the Great Barrier Reef. These and other habitats support a great diversity of fish species, many of which are also common in other waterways throughout the Queensland tropics.
In our coastal rivers and streams, rec fishers can find Jungle Perch, Sooty Grunter (Black Bream), Eel-Tailed Catfish (Jewfish) and Barramundi (Barra). In the estuaries, you will find good runs of Barra, Mangrove Jack, Threadfin Salmon and Grunter.
Further out in the open water, fishers can target a range of pelagic species such as Spanish Mackerel, Tuna, Marlin, Wahoo and Mahi Mahi. Species like Giant trevally and Queenfish can be found closer to shore and both are renowned for their ability to fight once hooked.
On the reefs, species Red Emperor, Nannygai, Sweetlip, Fingermark and, of course, Coral Trout, are all frequently caught.
As with many areas of Australia, North Queensland has its share of good fish habitat, interspersed with a range of habitats that can be improved and that will ultimately lead to better fishing opportunities. Some of the main concerns rec fishers have in this area are:
Riparian corridors are often in a state of degradation in low-lying coastal areas. The Chapter has partnered up with other groups to improve riparian vegetation. This will have multiple benefits to fish such as providing shade, improving physical habitat structure, and buffering waterways from high nutrient and sediment loads during wet season rainfall events.
There are literally thousands of barriers to fish passage on the east coast of Queensland. The Chapter is committed to identifying and remediating these barriers to increase the amount of available habitat for fish, particularly for those species that move between fresh and saltwater environments.
Shellfish reefs have undergone historical degradation right around Australia, and north QLD is no exception. We are currently working with project partners to find ways that we can improve these systems, which provide valuable structure and feeding opportunities for many fish species.
Coastal wetlands along the east tropical coast of Queensland are frequently in poor condition due to historical development. Wetland degradation can affect fish through loss of habitat connectivity, loss of access to nursery areas, increased prevalence of invasive fish and poor water quality that can lead to fish kills. Improving the condition of wetlands is critical, particularly for a number of species that rely on these habitats to complete their adult and juvenile life stages.
Overall, ensuring that urban and rural waterways are as healthy as they can be for fish habitat is the guiding foundation of our work.
OzFish Unlimited is gearing up for the second year of its environmental DNA (eDNA) testing in North Queensland and is calling on fisher scientists to join in for this simple yet important research. One of the main aims is to assess fish diversity in tropical waterways and eDNA is an alternative technique that has minimal impact to other monitoring such as setting traps or nets.
Recreational fishers are urgently needed to support a citizen science project in Townsville to help improve fish habitat. The Bohle and Ross river catchments will be the focus of fish surveys over the coming months to assess fish diversity in different habitats and to examine how these habitats can be improved for fish.
Recently, OzFish Unlimited North QLD Chapter (OzFish) and Tropical Rivers Consulting undertook baseline fish surveys at the TYTO Precinct in Ingham.