Green Turtles, Crocodiles and Ella Bay

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted a new story but trust me I have had a few big fish to fry lately!

Today Ma:mu/Mandubarra traditional owner James Epong and I were fortunate enough to be invited to give a joint presentation on local turtle nesting to the Cassowary Coast Regional Council.

The star of the show was a turtle we called 108 as it was the 108th green turtle hatchling to make its dash for the ocean from a nest only metres away from the Ella Bay Road.

Read more »

A Pair of White-Bellied Sea-Eagles Haliaeetus leucogaster Eat A Poisonous Toadfish at Ella Bay

Recently I have been communicating with Queensland Parks and Wildlife regarding the methods used and behaviour of their personnel at Ella Bay. This is something I will blog about in the near future. It has caused me to re examine the low impact methods I use to conduct field observations at Ella Bay as I am always seeking ways to do things better!

Whilst looking through my notes and photographs I was reminded of the following interesting observation I made on 12 December 2009. Incidentally this was the same day I first observed Snub fin dolphins at Ella Bay but that’s another story.
During this Ella Bay beach walk I was surprised when I accidentally disturbed a pair of White-bellied Sea-eagles that were on the ground near the high tide mark.

Read more »

Rare Golden sleepy cod threatened by TERM sand mining in Walsh River at Dimbulah

When I started this blog I had a very clear picture in my head of the areas it would cover, Ella Bay and Bramston Beach, easy peasy! I forgot to factor in one thing….MERIT!

Today’s story is a prime example, as the area I am writing about is just less than 100 kilometres west of my home but I have a historical link with this area and it faces a threat that could wipe out an extremely rare colour form of a native Australian fish that is very important to me.

Photo by Max Wingfield.

I first want to tell you a bit about this area with maps, words, photos and links and after this I will tell you about the fish!

Read more »

The Ray of the Day at Ella Bay

Ella Bay’s Whiptail ray Himantura uarnak…at least that’s what I thought it was!
As I returned from a walk along Ella Bay I noticed a large dead stingray being washed around in the shallows.

Read more »

Saw-shelled turtles living next to Ella Bay Road

After a walk at Ella Bay I stopped near a creek on the Ella Bay Road to fish watch and relax before leaving for home.
Whilst looking into a creek on the western side of the Ella Bay Road I spotted something unusual and decided to have a closer look.

Read more »

TALE field trip to Ella Bay

On Monday 16 March 2009 I had a very pleasant surprise visit from members of TALE (Tropical Aquatic Life Enthusiasts).

They had travelled from Cairns and were keen on a field trip to Ella Bay. TALE is a unique group as their members are not just interested in fish. Individual members specialise in aquatic vegetation, snails, turtles, invertebrates, reptiles and their President Mr Bob Kroll is even a butterfly expert.

Read more »

Dead Queensland Groper at Nind creek

I just received a email this morning from Ellie, the president of CAFNEC. This fish was about 10 km from the dead Ella Bay fish. It’s a different fish to mine (see this post) as this one had no spine.Ellie says:

We photographed this groper head in the Nind's creek - Johnstone River estuary on 17 December 2008. A fishing friend of ours also advises that when gropers are hooked and bought to the surface for release their air bladders tend to rupture and thus they cannot re-submerge even if successfully released, plus floating on the top of the water makes them prime targets for sharks and crocs. We suspect that's what happened to this one.

Read more »

Large dead Queensland Groper

On Saturday 21 March 2009 Tim Connolly, Sara Dobson and myself went for a Kayak/walk at Ella Bay (North of the creek mouth) and we found the remains of a large Queensland Groper Epinephelus lanceolatus.
Here's photographs of this fish.
Its lower jaw had been damaged perhaps by someone removing a fish hook. It was concealed in the sand with only its head/spine visible.

Nearby at the creek/lagoon there was sign of recent fishing activity however this is not relevant as the carcass is well over a week old. As you are aware this species is a no take protected marine species so its death could be of interest to you and that is the reason for this email.

I am also aware that Queensland Gropers have been dying in this region due to a bacterial infection so perhaps this may be the cause of death though this would not explain the damage to the fish’s lower jaw.

Here's a relevant article from the Cairns Post regarding this matter.
The death of any protected marine species is significant especially within such an environmentally sensitive area. I hope this information is of some use. If you require further details or higher resolution photographs please feel free to contact me.