Assessing the water needs of fisheries and ecological values in the Gulf of CarpentariaFinal Report prepared for theQueensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM)

[摘要] The recent CSIRO Flinders and Gilbert Agricultural Resource Assessment (FGARA) report evaluates the feasibility, economic viability and sustainability of agricultural development in the Flinders and Gilbert catchments in the south-eastern Gulf of Carpentaria, and demonstrated the potential for developing their water resources and arable soils.However, the rivers flowing into the coastal waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria currently support commercial fisheries, particularly for Barramundi and Banana Prawns, recreational and Indigenous fisheries and key ecological values ranging from estuary and river-floodplain habitats to endangered Largetooth Sawfish. Hence, whilst the demand for irrigated agriculture in northern Australia is rapidly increasing so too is the competition for water between different uses. Regional assessments that address ecological, cultural and socio-economic values therefore need to be undertaken in parallel to agricultural assessments so that tradeoffs between competing demands for water can be effectively explored. Such assessments will provide foundations for prioritisation, decision-making and implementation of water resource management plans for the future development of northern Australia.There is clear recognition and obligation under the Queensland Government Gulf Water Resource Plan (WRP) that there should be a balance between future agricultural development and the ecosystem services supported by existing river flows. The aim of this collaborative project between CSIRO and the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines is, therefore, to assess the potential risks to fisheries and ecological values in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria from the range of FGARA development scenarios. A key finding of this assessment is that water management strategies designed to mitigate the environmental and economic impacts of changed flows need to ensure that flows and connectivity between marine, estuarine and freshwater ecosystems are sufficient to support species and habitats identified at high risk, and to ensure the maintenance of flow-dependent fishery catches. The assessment reported here will aid policy makers and water resource managers anticipate and address water trade-offs from catchment to coasts.

[发布日期] 2014-06-27 [发布机构] CSIRO

[学科分类] 地球科学(综合)