Crayfish Creek

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Crayfish Creek is listed as a protected forest reserve in North West Tasmania, Australia. It is home to the endangered Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish (Astacopsis gouldi) [1] and - theoretically, rather than in practice - subject to federal protection under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Tasmania island state of Australia

Tasmania is an island state of Australia. It is located 240 km (150 mi) to the south of the Australian mainland, separated by Bass Strait. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th-largest island in the world, and the surrounding 334 islands. The state has a population of around 533,308 as of March 2019. Just over forty percent of the population resides in the Greater Hobart precinct, which forms the metropolitan area of the state capital and largest city, Hobart.

Australia Country in Oceania

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 26 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.

Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish species of crustacean

The Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish, also called Tasmanian giant freshwater lobster, is the largest freshwater invertebrate and the largest freshwater crayfish species in the world. The species is only found in the rivers below 400 metres (1,300 ft) above sea level in northern Tasmania, an island-state of Australia. It is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List due to overfishing and habitat degradation, and it has been prohibited to catch the crayfish since 1998.

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Since about 1999, Crayfish Creek has been subject to heavy industrial logging in the upper catchment with local residents attributing this as a cause for a significant loss of water volume. A prominent geohydrologist in the State, Dr David Leaman, noted that it was difficult to see whether a buffer zone ever existed upstream from Crayfish Creek, observing that this could be a significant contributor to the drying up of the water body further downstream. [2] This view was made in the context of the fact that the overwhelming majority scientists who have provided input on the need for adequate stream reserves under the Tasmanian Forest Practices Code have been clear that at least a 30-metre buffer zone around Class two, three and four streams should be implemented.

Logging the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto transport vehicles

Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the process of cutting trees, processing them, and moving them to a location for transport. It is the beginning of a supply chain that provides raw material for many products societies worldwide use for housing, construction, energy, and consumer paper products. Logging systems are also used to manage forests, reduce the risk of wildfires, and restore ecosystem functions.

David Edward Leaman, born in Hobart, Tasmania was an author, structural geologist, geohydrologist and geophysicist.. Leaman died in 2018.

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Southwest National Park Protected area in Tasmania, Australia

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Charles Gould was the first Geological Surveyor of Tasmania 1859-69.

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Tasmanian West Region in Tasmania, Australia

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<i>Astacopsis</i> genus of crustaceans

Astacopsis is a genus of crayfish endemic to the island of Tasmania. There are three extant species, Astacopsis gouldi, Astacopsis franklinii, and Astacopsis tricornis. All are threatened by illegal harvesting, and A. gouldi is protected by law. A. franklinii is found in the eastern half of the island, with A. tricornis taking its place in the west. A. gouldi is found only in rivers draining into the Bass Strait, except for the Tamar River. The three species were named by naturalist Ellen Clark in 1936. Prior to Clark's revision, all three species were collectively known as Astacopsis franklinii. The most famous depiction of a crayfish of the genus Astacopsis is in the "Sketchbook of fishes" by convict artist William Buelow Gould, painted at the Macquarie Harbour penal station circa 1832. Based on the location of observation and morphology evident in the image the specimen Gould painted was A. tricornis. Contrary to popular belief, A. gouldi was not named after WB Gould, but was named by Ellen Clark after the first Tasmanian Government Geological Surveyor Charles Gould, who published observations on giant freshwater crayfish distribution, diet and habits in 1870.

References

  1. ↑ Department of the Environment and Water Resources (2007). "Astacopsis gouldi". EPBC Act List of Threatened Fauna. Retrieved 7 April 2007.
  2. ↑ "Freshwater Lobster". ABC Stateline. 16 April 2004. Retrieved 7 April 2007.

Coordinates: 40°52′S145°24′E / 40.867°S 145.400°E / -40.867; 145.400

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.


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