1.1.7.3 Aquatic species and communities


The lower Hunter Valley contains some of the most significant wetlands in NSW including the Ramsar-listed Hunter Estuary Wetlands, as well as Port Stephens and Lake Macquarie (DECCW, 2009). The Hunter estuary contains the second largest area of mangroves in NSW and significant saltmarsh habitat occurs in and around the shores of Lake Macquarie. These habitats are important as feeding and roosting sites for a large seasonal population of shorebirds and as a waylay site for migratory birds. It is also important habitat for threatened amphibians. The Hunter estuary provides important nursery habitat for marine organisms including commercial species of fish and prawns. The Port Stephens estuary supports 22 migratory and ten breeding shorebird species. The estuary, together with rivers, creeks and tributaries under tidal influence, are included in the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park. Forests of swamp mahogany and paperbark in the lower Hunter Valley lowlands are important habitat for threatened species such as the grey-headed flying-fox, swift parrot and koala (DECCW, 2009).

The NSW Office of Water and the Office of Environment and Heritage have used a risk analysis framework (Serov et al., 2012) to identify groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) overlying NSW coastal groundwater sources. The conceptual framework classifies GDEs based on the degree to which they depend on groundwater access and their priority for management actions. It allows potential and actual impacts of proposed activities on GDEs to be assessed in accordance with the NSW Water Management Act 2000. The Hunter subregion contains 12 GDEs identified within this framework (see Figure 11 in Section 1.1.2and Table 19) of which four are listed under the NSW State Environmental Planning Policy No. 14 – Coastal Wetlands (SEPP 14).

No species were identified in the subregion from the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Fishing and Aquaculture Threatened and Protected Species Viewer (DPI, 2014). However, DPI note that the Viewer should not be used to infer species absence and have recently added the dragonfly Archaeophya adamsi, which may occur in the southernmost extent of the Hunter subregion, to their list of threatened species (DPI, 2013). The Darling River Hardyhead (Craterocephalus amniculus) has also been added as an endangered population in June 2014. Other aquatics species identified in state or Commonwealth Acts were the green turtle, loggerhead turtle, dugong, southern right whale, humpback whale and sperm whale (Table 15).

Table 19 Groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the Hunter subregion


Name

Groundwater source

Water sharing plan

Hexham Swampa

Newcastle

Hunter Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources

Pambalong Swamp

Newcastle

Hunter Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources

Parnell Spring

Sydney Basin – Hunter/Central Coast

Northern Fractured and Porous Rock Groundwater Sources (under development)

Wild Bull Spring

Sydney Basin – Upper Hunter

Northern Fractured and Porous Rock Groundwater Sources (under development)

Galloping Swampa

Tomago Tomaree Stockton Coastal Sands (Tomago)

Tomago Tomaree Stockton Groundwater Sources

Blind Harrys Swamp

Tomago Tomaree Stockton Coastal Sands (Tomago)

Tomago Tomaree Stockton Groundwater Sources

Deep Swamp

Tomago Tomaree Stockton Coastal Sands (Tomago)

Tomago Tomaree Stockton Groundwater Sources

Sandhole Swampa

Tomago Tomaree Stockton Coastal Sands (Tomago)

Tomago Tomaree Stockton Groundwater Sources

Woodberry Swampa

Newcastle

Hunter Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources

Wappinguy Spring

Lower Goulburn River

Hunter Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources

Ginger Beer Springs

Sydney Basin - Upper Hunter

Northern Fractured and Porous Rock Groundwater Sources (under development)

Reedy Swamp

Tomago Tomaree Stockton Coastal Sands (Tomago)

Tomago Tomaree Stockton Groundwater Sources

aWetlands listed under the NSW State Environmental Planning Policy No. 14 – Coastal Wetlands (SEPP 14).

The water sharing plan (WSP) for the Hunter unregulated and alluvial water sources (Department of Water and Energy, 2009) identifies 14 species of endangered frogs, seven species of endangered birds, two endangered flora species and one endangered macroinvertebrate.

Last updated:
18 January 2019
Thumbnail of the Hunter subregion

Product Finalisation date

2015

ASSESSMENT