RESULTS FOR THE MACKAY-WHITSUNDAY-ISAAC 2018 REPORT CARD ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS Authorship statement The Mackay-Whitsunday-Isaac Healthy Rivers to Reef Healthy Partnership (Partnership) Results for Environmental Indicators for the Mackay-Whitsunday-Isaac 2018 Report Card technical report was compiled by the Partnership’s Technical Officers, Alysha Lee and Jessica Gillespie. Substantial input was received from the Regional Report Cards Technical Working Group (TWG) members. Some content was also drawn from technical reports from earlier Mackay-Whitsunday report cards. Regional Report Cards Technical Working Group members Diane Tarte (TWG Chair July 2018 onwards) Adam Fletcher Paulina Kaniewska Nicola Stokes Richard Hunt Reinier Mann Tegan Whitehead Angus Thompson Emma Maxwell Nathan Waltham Alysha Lee Alex Carter Jessica Gillespie Michael Rasheed Carl Mitchell Glynis Orr Nyssa Henry Luke Galea Michael Holmes Eddie Jebreen David Moffatt Ken Rhode Andrew Moss Travis Sydes Lynne Powell Lyndon Llewellyn Judith Wake Nadine Marshall Donna Audas Paul Groves Chris Dench Stephen Lewis Michael Nash Chris Manning Melinda Louden Adam Folkers Acknowledgements The authors also thank Phillip Trendell, Bernie Cockayne, Bronwyn Houlden, Carol Honchin, Len McKenzie, Jamie Corfield and Matt Curnock for their technical input into various aspects of document development and/or their review of the document. Members of the Reef Independent Science Panel are also gratefully acknowledged for their advice and review of this document. Suggested citation Mackay-Whitsunday-Isaac Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership (2019). Results for the Mackay- Whitsunday-Isaac 2018 Report Card: Environmental Indicators, Technical Report. Mackay- Whitsunday-Isaac Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership, Mackay. This technical report was finalised and released online in November 2019. 1 Contents Authorship statement ............................................................................................................................. 2 Terms and Acronyms .............................................................................................................................. 5 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 8 1.1. Purpose of this Document .............................................................................................................. 8 1.2. General ............................................................................................................................................ 8 1.3. Terminology .................................................................................................................................... 9 1.4. General scoring of condition assessments .................................................................................... 10 1.5. Data used in the 2018 report card ................................................................................................ 11 1.6. Regional Setting ............................................................................................................................ 11 1.6.1. Drivers of condition assessments in 2017 - 2018 ................................................................. 11 1.6.2. Climate .................................................................................................................................. 12 1.6.3. Rainfall .................................................................................................................................. 13 1.6.4. Cyclones ................................................................................................................................ 15 1.6.5. Climate change ...................................................................................................................... 17 1.6.6. Coral Bleaching ..................................................................................................................... 17 2. Freshwater basin results ............................................................................................................... 19 2.1. Key findings in freshwater basins ................................................................................................. 19 2.2. Water quality in freshwater basins ............................................................................................... 20 2.2.1. Sediments ............................................................................................................................. 21 2.2.2. Nutrients ............................................................................................................................... 22 2.2.3. Pesticides .............................................................................................................................. 23 2.2.4. Water quality index scores and confidence .......................................................................... 26 2.3. Habitat and Hydrology in freshwater basins ................................................................................ 27 2.3.1. In-stream habitat modification ............................................................................................. 27 2.3.2. Riparian and wetland extent ................................................................................................. 29 2.3.3. Flow ....................................................................................................................................... 30 2.3.4. Habitat and hydrology index scores and confidence ............................................................ 30 2.4. Fish in freshwater basins............................................................................................................... 32 3. Estuary results ............................................................................................................................... 34 3.1. Key findings for estuaries .............................................................................................................. 34 3.2. Water quality in estuaries ............................................................................................................. 35 3.2.1. Nutrients ............................................................................................................................... 35 Chlorophyll-a ......................................................................................................................................... 36 3.2.2. Physio-chemical .................................................................................................................... 36 3.2.3. Pesticides .............................................................................................................................. 37 3.2.4. Water quality index scores and confidence .......................................................................... 37 3.3. Habitat and hydrology in estuaries ............................................................................................... 38 3.3.1. Fish barriers ........................................................................................................................... 39 3.3.2. Riparian and mangrove/saltmarsh extent ............................................................................ 40 3.3.3. Flow ....................................................................................................................................... 40 3.3.4. Habitat and hydrology index scores and confidence ............................................................ 40 3.4. Fish in estuaries............................................................................................................................. 41 4. Inshore and offshore marine results ............................................................................................. 42 4.1. Key findings for inshore and offshore marine .............................................................................. 42 4.2. Water quality in inshore and offshore marine ecosystems .......................................................... 43 4.2.1. Nutrients, chlorophyll-a and water clarity ............................................................................ 44 4.2.2. Pesticides .............................................................................................................................. 46 4.2.3. Water quality index scores and confidence .......................................................................... 48 4.3. Coral in inshore and offshore marine zones ................................................................................. 48 4.4. Seagrass in inshore marine zones ................................................................................................. 50 4.5. Fish in inshore and offshore marine zones ................................................................................... 53 2 References .................................................................................................................................... 54 Appendix A: Freshwater basins ............................................................................................................. 56 Appendix B: Estuaries ........................................................................................................................... 61 Appendix C: Marine environment ........................................................................................................