Skip to content

Henari Everyday Tools · Learn and Explore

Explore North Queensland

Waterways and wildlife

If someone is in immediate danger, call 000 (or 112 from some mobile phones).

Official actions come first on each card. Henari summaries are dated and are not the law. Henari never says a waterway is safe.

Crocodiles: be Crocwise

Townsville is Croc Country. Treat every waterway as if a crocodile could be there, even when no sighting has been reported.

  • Not seeing a crocodile does not mean there is none nearby. They can stay underwater, out of sight, for hours.
  • Queensland has freshwater and estuarine (saltwater) crocodiles. Freshwater crocodiles are usually smaller and less dangerous, but they will defend themselves if cornered. Do not go closer to work out which kind you are looking at.
  • Put fish scraps, bones and food waste in a bin or take them home. Never leave them at the water’s edge.
  • To report a sighting that is not an emergency, use the QWildlife app, the online form, or call 1300 130 372 and choose option 1. Report it soon, because crocodiles move.

Checked . Review due .

Sources: Be Crocwise (qld.gov.au), Report a crocodile sighting (qld.gov.au)

Caught a tilapia?

Do not put it back in the water, dead or alive, and do not use it as bait.

  • Tilapia are a restricted noxious fish in Queensland. You must not keep, feed, give away, sell or release them. Penalties may apply.
  • If you catch one, kill it humanely straight away and dispose of it responsibly away from the water.
  • Mozambique tilapia are often dark grey to nearly black, sometimes silver with a few dark spots. Spotted tilapia are olive-green to pale yellow with 8 or 9 dark bars or blotches. Both are deep-bodied and thin, with long pointed fins.
  • Check, clean and dry your boat and gear between waterways. Never move live or dead fish from one waterway to another, including as bait.
  • To report a sighting, use the Biosecurity Queensland online report or call 13 25 23.

Checked . Review due .

Sources: Invasive fish: legal obligations (qld.gov.au), Tilapia (business.qld.gov.au), Prevent the spread of invasive freshwater animals (qld.gov.au), Report to Biosecurity Queensland (dpi.qld.gov.au)

Mud crabs

Rules change. Check today’s rules in the Qld Fishing 2.0 app or on the Queensland Government site before you go.

  • Minimum size is 15 cm, measured across the widest part of the shell.
  • You can keep up to 7 per person, or 14 per boat when two or more people are on board.
  • Female mud crabs are no take. Put them back.
  • You cannot have a mud crab with its shell missing, or claws without the rest of the crab.
  • Closed waters apply in some places. The official limits page links to the list.
Underside of a male and a female mud crab Two simplified mud crabs seen from underneath. Each has a line across the widest part of the shell, where it is measured. The male, on the left, has a narrow, pointed flap on its belly. The female, on the right, has a broad, rounded flap. Widest part of the shell Widest part of the shell Male: narrow, pointed flap Female: broad, rounded flap
Simplified Henari drawing, not to scale. Young females can have a narrower flap, so check the official diagram if you are unsure, and put the crab back. Draft: not yet checked against the official diagram by a person.

Checked . Review due .

Sources: Size and possession limits: tidal waters (qld.gov.au), Measuring your catch (qld.gov.au)

Before you fish

Henari summaries are a dated reminder, not the rules. Check the official rules each time you fish.

  • Size and possession limits, closed seasons and closed waters differ by species and place.
  • Tide and moon times help you plan. They do not tell you whether fishing will be good or whether a spot is safe.
  • This is not legal advice.

Checked . Review due .

Sources: Recreational fishing rules (qld.gov.au), Qld Fishing 2.0 app (qld.gov.au)