Recent Sightings
Environment / Ecology
Pumicestone Passage
From the shallows of the skids, to the wide broadwater flowing into Deception bay, the living waterways of Pumicestone Passage are full of surprises. There are mangrove areas where young fish are nurtured, sandy beaches, estaurine regions, sandbanks, and bushy vegetated shore lines.
Pumicestone Passage is a large, tidally-dominated barrier estuary that separates Bribie Island from the mainland. The catchment covers approximately 670 km.
Land use in the catchment mainly comprises animal farming (pig, cattle and chicken), aquaculture, forestry, agriculture and residential purposes. Large forestry plantations (predominantly pine) are present within the catchment. There are also several National Parks and Conservation Parks. Pumicestone Passage is part of the Moreton Bay Marine Park.
Creeks of varying sizes and flow rates feed directly from the mainland west of the passage into this waterway. Bribie Island to the east drains mainly minor freshwater creeks. Between the northern and southern inlets to the ocean, a shallow, narrow channel constricts water flow, effectively separating the passage into two estuaries. At least 80% of the waterways within the Pumicestone Passage are less than two metres deep due to the presence of extensive intertidal deposits. Much of the Passage's waterways are used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating and bathing.
(Description extracted from State of South-east Queensland Waterways Report 2001)
Pumicestone Passage supports extensive seagrass meadows, comprising mixed beds of Zostera capricorni, Halophila ovalis and Halophila spinulosa. Seagrass meadows in the passage vary in size and species composition. Seagrass meadows in the passage are generally healthy, although the occurrence of Lyngbya blooms and the presence of Caulerpa taxifolia have led to decline in the ecological integrity of the seagrass meadows. Seagrass depth range at Gallagher’s Point has remained relatively stable over the past few years, with average depths between 0.75 and 1.05 metres.
Water quality in Pumicestone
Passage is strongly influenced by oceanic flushing through both openings of the passage, as well as by adjacent land uses, especially via creeks that drain these areas. Total nitrogen concentrations showed strong patterns along the length of the passage, with lower concentrations at sites closest to the ocean where increased flushing with oceanic water occurs Total nitrogen concentrations were inversely related to Secchi depth, indicating the positive relationship between increased sediment (and decreased water clarity) and increased nitrogen concentrations. Sediments are well-known transporters of nutrients into waterways. The creeks adjacent to Pumicestone Passage are known to have elevated concentrations of nitrogen (Caboolture Shire Council, unpublished). Phosphorus concentrations were similar along the length of the passage and did not show the same relationship with sediment loads as did nitrogen. (Healthy Waterways report.)