Academic literature on the topic 'Fitzroy River'

Understanding spatial patterns in demographic parameters of exploited fish species is of critical importance to effective fisheries management. In the present study, patterns in demography of a large, protandrous, estuarine teleost, king threadfin, Polydactylus macrochir, were compared among three estuaries on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. Significant variation in age and growth was observed between fish from the Fitzroy River and those from the Mary and Brisbane Rivers, with Fitzroy River fish living longer (22 years v. 10 and 14 years, respectively), reaching a greater asymptotic length (1222-mm fork length (FL) v. 975- and 1047-mm FL, respectively), and attaining greater length-at-ages of 6 years and beyond. No difference in growth was detected between Mary and Brisbane River fish, or in total mortality among any of the sites. Fitzroy River fish were generally found to mature and change sex at greater lengths and ages than those from the Mary and Brisbane Rivers. The observed variability suggests that spatially segregated populations of P. macrochir may respond differently to fishing pressure and highlights the importance of understanding the spatial patterns in demography of exploited estuarine fish populations.

Environmental Context. The Fitzroy River Basin is a major contributor to the loads of suspended sediment and nutrients reaching coastal areas in the southern Great Barrier Reef. Cost-effective investment in improved land, vegetation, and water management to lower these loads requires an understanding of the sources and movement of sediments within the basin. This multidisciplinary geochemical and modelling study provides for the first time a quantitative estimate of sediment sources and spatial and hydrology-related variation within the Fitzroy River Basin. Abstract. An integrated geochemical, modelling, and reconnaissance soil sampling approach has been used to identify the sources of sediment in the Fitzroy River Basin (FRB). The composition of sediment in weirs and dams within the FRB indicate that in the southern and central FRB the Dawson River contributes only a small basaltic component and the inputs are dominated by soils from the Surat and Bowen Basins. Rivers from the central FRB carry variable amounts of basaltic soils. In contrast, basaltic soils constitute the majority of sediment transported during flood events. Surat Basin soils form a minor component of flood events with little contribution from soils of the Bowen Basin despite it constituting the majority of the area of the central FRB. Soils from the Thomson Fold Belt constitute a substantial proportion of the sediment transported by, and retained in, impoundments in the central FRB and also dominate sediment delivered from the western FRB. This study will inform cost-effective investment by government to target remedial actions to reduce sediment and nutrient loads within the FRB that may be ultimately transported via the Fitzroy River Estuary to the southern Great Barrier Reef.

Environmental context. During flood events, the Fitzroy River is a major contributor to the loads of suspended sediment and nutrients to the southern Great Barrier Reef. The present geochemical and modelling study provides for the first time a quantitative estimate of the temporal variation in sediment sources over an entire flood hydrograph. Basaltic soils are substantially enriched in this flood event relative to their catchment abundance. Abstract. Suspended sediment collected over a complete flood hydrograph in the Fitzroy River provided an insight into the origin and transport of sediment in this system. Strong temporal trends are evident in the proportions of catchment soil types estimated using a Bayesian mixing model in the fine (<10 μm) fraction of the suspended sediment. These temporal trends were also manifested in changes in mineralogy, major and trace element and Nd–Sr and C–N isotope geochemistry. Tertiary Basaltic soils were the most abundant catchment soil type transported in the flood event studied here, constituting 39% of the <10-μm sediment fraction, but varied between an estimated 20 and 50% of the suspended solids over the course of the flood event. The techniques used here allow quantification and comparison between flow and suspended sediment sources and are widely applicable to other river systems.

Environmental Context. The Fitzroy River Basin constitutes a major source of suspended sediment and nutrient fluxes to the southern Great Barrier Reef. Improved land management practices to ameliorate these catchment loads require an understanding of the sediment sources and dynamics. This multidisciplinary geochemical and modelling study provides for the first time a quantitative estimate of sediment sources delivered to, and their degree of retention in, the Fitzroy River Estuary. Abstract. Sources of sediment deposited in the Fitzroy River Estuary (FRE) have been identified and quantified using an integrated geochemical, modelling and reconnaissance soil sampling approach. A companion paper (this volume) identifies the major sources of sediments in impoundments on the major river systems and sediment sampled from flood events in the Fitzroy River Basin (FRB). Sediment within the FRE may display distinct longitudinal variation with little basaltic material retained. Sediments derived from the Bowen Basin, which occupies the greatest portion of the FRB, and from the Surat Basin display the greatest longitudinal variation. All FRB soils have a similar total phosphorus (P) concentration. Thus, in considering P export from the catchment it is the total sediment flux which is of major importance, rather than the relative proportions of individual catchment soils. This research provides crucial new regional scale information on the sediment sources deposited within the FRE.

AbstractTraditional custodians of the Martuwarra (Fitzroy River) derive their identity and existence from this globally significant river. The First Laws of the Martuwarra are shared by Martuwarra Nations through a common songline, which sets out community and individual rights and duties. First Law recognizes the River as the Rainbow Serpent: a living ancestral being from source to sea. On 3 November 2016, the Fitzroy River Declaration was concluded between Martuwarra Nations. This marked the first time in Australia when both First Law and the rights of nature were recognized explicitly in a negotiated instrument. This article argues for legal recognition within colonial state laws of the Martuwarra as a living ancestral being by close analogy with the case concerning the Whanganui River. We seek to advance the scope of native title water rights in Australia and contend that implementation of First Law is fundamental for the protection of the right to life of the Martuwarra.

Understanding the life-history attributes of aquatic species is integral to the development of environmental-flow strategies in regulated river systems. This is particularly important when species are under continual and increasing pressure from water-resource development. In this study, the water temperature and flow requirements for spawning of the Fitzroy River golden perch (Macquaria ambigua oriens) were investigated over 4 years at 22 sites in the Fitzroy River catchment. Eggs, larvae and young-of-year (YOY) M. ambigua oriens were sampled on a variety of flow events to determine the environmental requirements for spawning. Eggs and larvae of M. ambigua oriens were detected during natural flow events generally with a minimum of 1.5 m river rise and duration of 7 days. Spawning was associated with the peak and/or recession of the first or second post-winter flow event where water temperatures exceeded 24°C. Our data suggests that it is important to protect a range of flows, not just flood flows, as previously documented for this species. The interaction of spawning flows with existing and future water-resource development should be considered to ensure maintenance of the population viability of M. ambigua oriens.

A new species of cowrie in the genus Erronea (Ipserronea) is described from the muddy coastal estuaries of King Sound, Western Australia, at the mouth of the Fitzroy River. The new cowrie, here named Erronea (Ipserronea) garyi n. sp., is the smallest-known member of its subgenus and inhabits oyster and Pinna beds on intertidal mud flats adjacent to mangrove jungles and river inlets. This new mudflat-dwelling dwarf cowrie is the fifth-known species in the subgenus Ipserronea

Range regeneration programmes and related research are reviewed for three major project areas - the Ord River Catchment, the Fitzroy River Frontage and the Winter Rainiall Arid Zone. Successful regeneration techniques are well established for the Ord River Catchment although the ongoing management of treated areas presents a number of difficulties. Regeneration techniques for the Fitzroy Frontage have not been firmly established but, if economically justifiable, are likely to involve water ponding and the amelioration of soil conditions by organic mulch accumulation. It is argued that extension of the water ponding principle to areas of higher slope than those on which the technique is normally used is likely to be an important component of the development of regeneration procedures in the arid zone. Experience in all three environments suggests that a number of principles apply generally. Control of grazing by native and feral animals is a pre-requisite for successful regeneration in any environment. The rate of response to regeneration treatments seems to be inversely related to the degree of degradation suggesting that less severely degraded areas are likely to provide the best economic return from regeneration programmes. Processes of ecological succession seem important in all regeneration activities in the rangelands and cannot be entirely bypassed by cultural intervention.

This thesis is a reference ( or sketch) grammar of Karajarri, an Australian Aboriginal language. As such, there is no attempt to be fully comprehensive at any point, but rather to provide a broad overview of the grammar of the language. I have chosen, however, to include in the study a more detailed analysis of one aspect of the language, namely the case-marking system (based on a framework developed by Dench and Evans 1988). This overview may be a basis for further research into particular aspects of the language. The reference grammar style of this study will also be of use in understanding the texts of Karajani which already exist from past work. The analysis is based on previous work done on Karajarri, as well as a period of field research in June 1992.

Land use practices over the last 200 years have dramatically altered the distribution and amount of riparian vegetation throughout many catchments in Australia. This has lead to a number of negative impacts including a decrease in water quality, an increase in sediment transport and a decrease in the quality of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. The task of restoring the functions of riparian zones is an enormous one and requires spatial and temporal prioritisation. An analysis of the existing and historical functions of riparian zones and their spatial distribution is a major aid to this process and will enable efficient use of remediation resources. The approach developed in this thesis combines remote sensing, field measurement and terrain analysis to describe the distribution of five riparian zone functions: sediment trapping, bank stabilization, denitrification, stream shading and large woody debris production throughout a large semi-arid catchment in central Queensland.

The knowledge and understanding of sediment transport is essential for the development of effective management strategies for nutrient and sediment loading in estuarine systems. Estuarine suspended sediment (in high concentrations), has the ability to adversely impact upon surrounding ecosystems, such as the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Due to a recent decline in water and sediment quality, it has recently been mandated that a number of tropical, coastal estuarine systems in Queensland, such as the Fitzroy River estuary, have their sediment loading reduced. In order to meet these requirements, a greater understanding of the sediment transport dynamics and driving processes (such as flocculation and settling velocity) needs to be achieved, and the accuracy of estimation improved. This research project was motivated by the need to improve the general accuracy of field measurements for estuarine suspended sediment transport and dynamics. Field-based measurements (especially settling velocity) are necessary for the parameterisation of sediment transport models. The difficulty in obtaining accurate, in situ data is well documented and is generally limited to methods that isolate a water sample from its natural environment, removing all influences of estuarine turbulence. Furthermore, the water samples are often extracted from points (Eulerian) where the history of the suspended particles is generally unknown. These sampling methods typically contain intrinsic errors as suspended sediment transport is essentially Lagrangian (i.e., flows with the net motion of flow-field) in nature. An investigation into different drogue systems conducted in parallel with a study into the tidal states of the Fitzroy River estuary led to the development of a novel Lagrangian drogue device, the LAD. Additionally, the water-tracking ability of the LAD was tested and found to accurately follow a parcel of estuarine water over a slack water period. Therefore the LAD was deployed in the Fitzroy River to assist in the further understanding of complex sediment transport processes such as flocculation and settling velocity in a natural estuarine flow field. The final device (the LAD - Lagrangian Acoustic Drogue) was developed, utilizing the principals of acoustic backscatter intensity-derived SSC measurements. The investigation of a series LAD deployments (during slack water) in the Fitzroy River estuary, revealed the dominant suspended sediment processes and also gave an insight into the prevailing flow-patterns. Results showed the presence of a settling lag mechanism between low and high tide, which can initiate a net sediment flow upstream with each flood tide. The bulk settling velocity showed comparable results at both low and high water. The LAD derived bulk settling velocity as a function of concentration (SSC), yielding a strong positive correlation (r2 = 0.73). Also the importance of flocculation in the bulk settling and clear up of the water column during periods of still water (high and low tide) was demonstrated as all in situ settling velocities (0.33 - 1.75 mm s-1) exceeded single grain approximations (0.47 mm s-1). This research demonstrates the potential for Lagrangian drogue studies as an effective measuring platform for the accurate quantification of estuarine suspended sediment dynamics. The application of the LAD in the Fitzroy River has lead to a significant improvement in the understanding of the system's real sediment transport processes. This research has provided an effective and accurate technique for measuring real settling velocities for input into numerical models or for the validation of existing model outputs. Furthermore, this technique shows great potential for application in other estuarine systems.

The seasonal periodicity of hydrology, physical and chemical water quality parameters and phytoplanktonic assemblages was studied at two sites in a large tropical Australian riverine impoundment. This study, the first in the lower Fitzroy River at Rockhampton, occurred between August 1990 and November 1993. It covered extremes in riverine flow conditions including major flooding and drought.

The annual flow regime was characterized by major flows in the "wet" season (summer and autumn) and greatly reduced or no flow in the "dry" season of winter, spring and sometimes early summer. Consequently, the thermal regime at both of the study sites was divided into two phases. The first was a phase of water column heating in the late winter to early summer. Features of this heating phase were long term stratification with progressive epilimnetic deepening, high pH, regular occurrence of epilimnetic oxygen supersaturation and decreased or undetectable levels of oxidized nitrogen in the surface layer. Hypolimnetic anoxia was recorded late in this phase. The second, between substantial wet season inflows and late winter was characterized by nutrient rich inflows and water column cooling and mixing.

Distinct interannual differences occurred in the volume, source and timing of inflows and subsequent water chemistry. In 1991, conductivity, water clarity, filterable reactive phosphorus (FRP) and pH increased markedly following major flooding from northern tributaries, while oxidized nitrogen decreased. This was in marked contrast to the drier years of 1992 and 1993 where turbidity and oxidized nitrogen were higher during the initial post-flood period and conductivity and FRP were lower. Extremes of mostly abiogenic turbidity (range 1.6 to 159 NTU) were a feature of the light climate. Ratios of euphotic depth/mixing depth below 0.3 occurred in early 1992 and 1993.

Steep gradients in the physical and chemical environment were paralleled by variations in the phytoplankton. Algal biomass (as chlorophyll a) at Site 1, midstream opposite the water intake for the city of Rockhampton, ranged from 1.5 to 56.6 ug L-1. The vertical water column distribution of chlorophyll was variable with assemblages normally dominated by phytoflagellates and various species of cyanoprokaryotes. There was also higher relative abundance of chlorophyll a (reflecting increasing dominance of cyanoprokaryotes) in the latter half of the year and at the lower end of light availability. The specific vertical water column positioning with respect to light and temperature is shown for assemblages dominated by the genera Anabaena, Aphanizomenon and Cylindrospermopsis.

The most striking aspect of the phytoplankton was the long term dominance of cyanoprokaryotes and the species richness (particularly that of cyanoprokaryotes) when compared with the dearth of information to date on other tropical rivers. Seasonal successions were varied. Regularly occurring assemblages were cyanoprokaryotes (Oscillatoriales), euglenophytes or non-flagellated chlorophytes during flows followed by flagellated chlorophytes and then cyanoprokaryotes (Nostocales) during the dry season. Genera present indicated highly eutrophic conditions. Hierarchical agglomerative clustering of phytoplankton data and comparison with a principal components analysis of corresponding environmental data were used to demonstrate the linkage between steep environmental gradients and variation in the phytoplankton assemblage. The specific environmental conditions associated with the success of various species were also analysed and presented. Using the above information, a two-part model was proposed which predicts the most likely genera of phytoplankton with respect to multidimensional environmental gradients. This model covers a wide gamut of conditions varying from highly variable lotic to lentic environments.

As Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii was considered a most important species in relation to the quality of the water supply for Rockhampton, the physical, chemical and biotic conditions prior to and during a bloom of this species are described. A number of possible grazers of C. raciborskii were identified with a view to future biomanipulation. One of these, the large ciliate, Paramecium cf. caudatum was found to be an effective grazer of toxic straight C. raciborskii in the laboratory.

This study is unique in that it analyses the impact of episodic events (eg. major flooding) on the subsequent phytoplankton in the lower Fitzroy River. The model relating phytoplankton to multidimensional environmental gradients provides great information for use in management, particularly in relation to the prediction of toxic algal blooms.

Australia and Northeast Iraq have scarce water resources which are vulnerable to climate change. Analyses of historical data have revealed that these two regions are experiencing climate change to a degree higher than generally reported elsewhere. To date the relationship between climate change and its effect on water resources of Australia and Northeast Iraq has been sparsely addressed in the published literature, and almost no attention has been paid to climate change-related water resources issues. In order to fill that gap, this research work first investigates if there has been a significant change in climate in these two regions, and this has been found to be true. The relationship between climate change and its impact on water resources is explored through the application of the widely used ‘white box’ model SWAT. The model depicts the availability of water resources, classified separately as blue and green waters, for short-term and distant futures for the two regions. Some of the findings are foreboding and warrant urgent attention of planners and decision makers for certain places where (in both regions) the results show that climate change will have major impacts on water resources. The Fitzroy River Basin will experience hotter and wetter weather, while the Iraqi Basin will see hotter and drier weather in the near and distant futures, near being up to 2046-2064 and distant being up to 2080-2100. The research makes some projections of future water resource distributions in the two regions based on climatic scenarios from some widely used General Circulation Model (GCM) ensembles. The research further investigates how the population is adapting to already changed climates and how it is expected to cope in the future when the shift in climate is expected to be much greater.

Project aims to isolate the toxins produced by the Fitzroy River strain of C. raciborskii, a tropical cyanobacterium that forms in Queensland waterways, and which is toxic to humans and livestock. Analytical methodologies for the determination of the cylindrospermopsin concentration in water samples or algal extracts are also investigated.

 Fishways designed for salmonids in temperate rivers have often been successful, but similar fishways provided for non-salmonid species in tropical and sub- tropical rivers have frequently failed. In 1970 a salmonid style fishway was built on a tidal barrage on the sub -tropical Fitzroy River, in Queensland, north-eastern Australia. Despite modifications to the design in 1987 assessment of the fishway in 1978 and 1992 demonstrated that it was ineffective; particularly as few barramundi (Lates calcarifer [Centropomidae]) were found at the top of the fishway. The inadequacy of the design appeared to be related to very high water velocities and turbulence within the fishway pools. Consequently, since construction of the tidal barrage many catadromous fish populations (species that live in freshwater but breed in saltwater) have declined in the freshwater reaches of the Fitzroy River. 

In 1994 the fishway was modified to a vertical -slot design. The study reported in this thesis is an assessment of the effectiveness of the new design from 1995 to 1997. In 38 paired samples taken at the top and bottom of the fishway, over 16 months, 29 fish species and over 23,000 fish were collected at a maximum rate of 3,400 per day. At the top of the fishway 15,471 individuals were collected and 7594 at the bottom. The migratory population consisted of 4 marine species, 9 diadtomous species and 16 potamodromous species. Common species using the fishway included blue -catfish (Arius graeffei [Ariidae]), bony herring (Nematalosa erebi [Clupeidae]), striped mullet (Mugil cephalus [Mugilidae]), barramundi, and long -finned eels (Anguilla reinhardtii [Anguillidae]). Shrimp  Macrobrachium australiense [Palaemonidae]), juvenile crabs (Varuna litterata [Grapsidae]) and long -finned elvers did not ascend the full length of the fishway and specific fishways for these species are recommended. Fish between 25 and 640 mm in length ascended the fishway, although the passage of smaller size classes of immature fish was restricted which may be important for the sustainability of these migratory populations. The bulk of the biomass (71% at the top and 66% at the bottom) was made up of the diadromous blue -catfish of which 81 % were immature. Furthermore, a number of other common fish species were represented mostly by juveniles, including striped mullet, bony herring and barramundi. 

This study is the first record of barramundi successfully migrating through an in situ fishway in that no significant difference was found between the size of fish at the top and bottom. A major finding was that 95% of the barramundi from the fishway were immature fish (200-640 mm long), but significantly larger barramundi (maximum length 980 mm) were captured by angling near the base of the fishway. Nevertheless, enlargement of vertical -slot width from 0.15 m to 0.45 m only encouraged a small number of larger fish (890 mm maximum length) to enter. Interestingly, very small barramundi (45-163 mm long) were also absent from the fishway, but these were found in a small tidal tributary below the barrage. Very young barramundi appear to inhabit specific off - channel habitat before migrating in the main river at a larger size. The implications of these results are that 150 mm slot widths are suitable for barramundi and that different life stages have different migratory requirements.   

In history, the progress of a city's water supply often parallels the growth of the city, and in Rockhampton's case, also reflects a number of adversities that the local councillors had to overcome. This dual local and water history dissertation explores the history of Rockhampton's water supply. In doing so it engages with themes within local history such as politics, local government, adversity, resilience and identity. This history also reveals patterns of local power relations. These themes are set against the backdrop of broader Australian history in order to provide context.1 Rockhampton sits astride the large Fitzroy

River, but despite this fortune of geography, the c;ity has had a history of challenges in securing a safe and reliable water supply. The forethought of mayors and local government officers was an integral feature of directing Rockhampton away from using unhygienic lagoon water, to having possibly one of the safest and best water supply systems in Australia, and this can only be appreciated by understanding the history of this local area. The development of Rockhampton was a phenomenon unlike most towns in Queensland. The duffer's gold rush at Canoona, bringing in hundreds of people almost instantly,

prevented Rockhampton developing slowly like other towns, which depended mainly on agriculture. The challenge for the leading citizens in a new town that virtually grew

overnight was to source adequate drinking water for a town on the bank of a salty river.

Local history narratives like this rely on the stories of people in the area. This local history narrative encompasses some local political history, although Councillors were not politically aligned in the early days of Rockhampton. The significant water history events that are explored in this thesis include the following, and each represents progress in ideas and technology. The first resolution passed by the first Council in 1861, was to apply to the Queensland Colonial Government for permission to cart water from Yeppen Yeppen Lagoon, later known as Yeppen Lagoon as the town water supply. In 1875 a more sophisticated reservoir was built to supply water to approximately 1,400 houses with lagoon water and by the 1926, a pumping station and water treatment works were built at Yaamba and potable water was piped the thirty-five kilometres to Rockhampton. In 1970 a barrage was built across the Fitzroy River at the "Rocks" to prevent tidal salt water contaminating the fresh Fitzroy River water. Subsequently, a new pumping station and water treatment works were built within the city at Glenmore in 1971. The thesis argues that the people who progressed Rockhampton's water supply faced adversity in achieving a continuous articulated potable water supply for the city. The city is adjacent to a saltwater river, yet the incremental progress made encouraged large businesses and even adjacent towns to eventually flourish, as well as helped to green Rockhampton. Furthermore, this water history shows Rockhampton's distinctive identity when it obtained its iconic Council-owned Barrage.

<i>Abstract</i> .—Central Queensland in Australia already has a highly variable rainfall and streamflow pattern. River flows of the largest local river, the Fitzroy, are seasonal and ephemeral and, between 1976 and 2008, varied in magnitude from around 349,677 to 22,903,390 ML per annum. Predictions of local climate change effects suggest that rainfall and streamflows will become more variable with less frequent but larger flood events and extended, more severe drought periods. SUNTAG is a program that has recorded details of tagged and recaptured fish in Queensland since 1986. CAPREEF is a community-based program that has collected catch-and-effort data from recreational fishers across Central Queensland since 2005. The SUNTAG and CAPREEF programs act as a long-term central repository to collect recreational fish tagging and catch information. The goal of this paper was to examine two models predicting changes associated with rainfall and streamflow, the first examining changes in barramundi <i>Lates calcarifer </i> recruitment in a wetland system and the second predicting changes in recreational catch rate of sand whiting <i>Sillago ciliata </i> and red throat emperor <i>Lethrinus miniatus</i> . Catch rates of young barramundi recruiting to a wetland in the Fitzroy River delta between 1985 and 2008 varied between 0 and 37 fish/d. The median catch rates of fishing clubs also varied widely, being highest in years following wet season flooding.

The Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council (Martuwarra Council) has prepared this document to engage widely and to articulate its ambitions and obligations to First Law, customary law and their guardianship authority and fiduciary duty to protect the Martuwarra’s natural and cultural heritage. This document outlines a strategic approach to Heritage Conservation and Management Planning, communicating to a wide audience, the planning principles, key initiatives, and aspirations of the Martuwarra Traditional Owners to protect their culture, identity and deep connection to living waters and land. Finer granularity of action items required to give effect to this Conservation and Management Plan for the National Heritage Listed Fitzroy River Catchment Estate are outlined in section 7 and which will be more fully explored by the Martuwarra Council in the coming months and years.