Restoration Plan

There is limited suitable natural substrate available for oyster larvae to settle (i.e. biogenic reef
substrates) in the estuary due to anthropogenic changes, increased sedimentation and smothering of
historical oyster habitats (ESP 2016). Provision of appropriate substrate (i.e. with suitable vertical
height above the sediment and overhanging surfaces for oyster spat to settle onto) to allow oyster
reefs to recover within the Noosa Estuary, would restore a habitat type that is also important for
productivity of fisheries species that the Noosa River Declared Fish Habitat Area has been designated
to protect. These species that benefit from increased diversity of habitat types include: yellowfin
bream, estuary cod, tailor, mangrove jack, and moses perch.

 

 

 
 

4, Relevant Queensland legislation forFish Habitat AreaA
Fisheries resources are regulated in Queensland via the Fisheries Act 1994. The objectives of the Act
are:

To provide for the use, conservation and enhancement of the community’s fisheries resources and
fish habitats in a way that seeks to—

(a) apply and balance the principles of ecologically sustainable development;

(b) promote ecologically sustainable development
(2) In balancing the principles, each principle is to be given the relative emphasis appropriate in the
circumstances.

A mechanism within the Fisheries Act to manage, conserve and enhance the fisheries resources is
the provision of Declared Fish Habitat Areas (FHA). Fisheries Regulations legislate activities
permitted in those FHA.

Section 214 of the Fisheries Regulation 2008 provides that the following activities may be authorised
in a Management Level A Fish Habitat Area:

RESTORING fish habitat or natural processes (e.g. works to restore river bank profiles).

The Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing Operational Policy for Management of Declared
Fish Habitat Area outlines that restoration of fish habitat or natural processes within a declared FHA
may be required where:

“s natural events have caused disturbance (e.g. severe mangrove loss from storm damage); or

+ there has been human interference but the person responsible is unable to be identified....

Restoration is the process of returning a site to an agreed pre-existing natural condition. From a
declared FHA perspective, this means restoring natural substrate profiles and processes to a level
where natural succession will continue the recovery process. Projects that aim to deal with
disturbance from human interference may involve both a specific restoration component and an
associated component that prevents or manages the factors that caused the impacts.”

As detailed in the report by Dr Thurston (Thurstan 2015 Appendix 1), there has been substantial
human interference to the fish habitats and natural processes in the Noosa River. Of particular
televance to this project plan is the interference from dredging of oyster reefs throughout all areas
shown in Figure 1 prior to the 1930’s. The Operational Policy for Management of Declared Fish
Habitat Area therefore provides mechanism for the oyster reefs to be restored by way of "restoring
natural substrate profiles and processes to a level where natural succession will continue the recovery
process”,

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