Flow and Fisheries: Theme - River flow impacts on estuarine prawns in the Gulf of Carpentaria
The estuaries of Australia’s tropical rivers support commercial fisheries for finfish, crustaceans and shellfish valued at over $220 million per annum. Development of water resources in Australia’s Tropical Rivers region is being considered for the Flinders, Mitchell, McArthur, Roper, Daly and Victoria catchments. The Northern Prawn Fishery also faces threats from land-based development, such as irrigation, and climate change, including changes to sea level. Given the well-documented correlation between flows and banana prawn recruitment, changes to river flows, nutrients, sediments and contaminant inputs are likely to affect fisheries yields (Loneragan and Bunn 1997; Robins et al. 2005). In order to tackle the effect of land-based development, CERF-funded TRACK will co-invest in research in the same river system. This would provide the means to undertake fisheries-targeted research in the wider context of environmental, social and economic research specifically on the Norman River and estuary adjacent to the banana fishery in the south-east Gulf of Carpentaria. This proposal therefore aims to determine how river flow affects estuarine prawn production and emigration. Via the partnership with TRACK, the implications of land use change on river flow, estuarine systems and ultimately prawn juveniles, will be assessed.
