New species found in Bulimba Creek Oxbow

2005 National Riverprize winners Bulimba Creek Catchment Coorindating Committee (B4C) and their Landcare Group have been working and researching into the recolonisation of a dead Oxbow tidal area in Brisbane, Australia for over four years.

Big news comes as two new species have been identified in the Oxbow area recently – an Obtuse Barracuda (pictured), also known as a Striped Sea Pike or Striped Barracuda, and a prawn species yet to be identified but suspected to be a freshwater species called Machrobrachium australiense. 

The Oxbow now supports over 63 bird species and 31 fish and prawn species, with evidence now of wallabies using the site. With further protection and rehabilitation, the Bulimba Creek Oxbow will truly become a model of best practice in urban wetland restoration. An Oxbow community education day will be held on Saturday 20 August 2011 with workshops by University of Sunshine Coast nekton researcher, David Bright, and B4C President, Michael Petter.