Key Fish Habitat: Aquatic Habitats for Fisheries Sustainability in New South Wales

Key Fish Habitats are aquatic areas identified as vital for sustaining commercial and recreational fishing industries, maintaining fish populations, and supporting threatened species under the Fisheries Management Act 1994. The dataset, compiled by DPI-Fisheries, includes marine, estuarine, and most permanent freshwater habitats up to the highest astronomical tide or top of the bank. Feedback on the mapping data can be directed to [email protected].

Use Cases

• Identify priority conservation areas based on the policy definition of Key Fish Habitat.
• Assess habitat connectivity for fish populations based on the inclusion of rivers, lakes, and estuaries.
• Support recovery plans for threatened aquatic species based on the inclusion of habitats known to support them.
• Inform land-use and water resource planning by mapping excluded artificial waterbodies like irrigation channels.
• Guide fisheries management decisions by mapping habitats important to recreational and commercial fishing industries.

Strengths

• Dataset is defined by a clear policy objective under the Fisheries Management Act 1994.
• Spatial scope is explicitly defined to include marine, estuarine, and most permanent freshwater habitats.
• Exclusion criteria are clearly stated, such as small headwater creeks and wholly artificial waterbodies.
• Provides a direct contact email ([email protected]) for feedback and questions.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and spatial scale are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2026-05-13 03:36:29.605664; freshness should be verified.

Provenance

Source

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD)

Collection Method

Compiled by DPI-Fisheries based on a policy definition to guide mapping.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-13 03:36:29.605664

Geography

Likely focuses on New South Wales, Australia, given the governing Act and authoring department.