Pelican Lagoon

This article is about the lagoon in South Australia. For the protected area, see Pelican Lagoon Conservation Park.

Pelican Lagoon
File:Pelican lagoon and American River.JPG Pelican Lagoon
Pelican Lagoon Location in South Australia
Location	Kangaroo Island, South Australia
Coordinates
Type	seawater lagoon
Basin countries	Australia
Max. length	.
Max. width
Surface area
Max. depth
Salinity	sea water
Islands	Goanna Islet, Pig Islet, Rabbit Islet, Shag Rock, Samphire Islet, Wallaby Islet and several unnamed islands
Settlements	Pelican Lagoon Muston

Pelican Lagoon is a seawater lagoon located on the north coast of Kangaroo Island, South Australia about south east of Kingscote. It was named by Matthew Flinders on 4 April 1802 after the large population of pelicans present in its waters and adjoining shorelines. Its role as fishery hatchery had been identified by the early 20th century with the result that fishing in its waters has been restricted in varying degrees. Since 1971, the entire lagoon has been part of a protected area known as the American River Aquatic Reserve where all fishing and the collection of marine organisms is prohibited.

Description

Pelican Lagoon is a seawater lagoon located about south of American River and about south east of Kingscote. The lagoon is bounded by Dudley Peninsula to the east, the main body of Kangaroo Island to the west, an isthmus connecting the above-mentioned bodies of land to the south and an unnamed peninsula to the north that separates it from Eastern Cove. The lagoon is connected to Eastern Cove in Nepean Bay by an inlet named American River. Hog Bay Road which is the main road connecting Penneshaw to Kingscote passes on the east and south sides of the lagoon.

The lagoon itself consists of two branches - one on the east side and the other on the west side which was described as being the ‘southern branch’ by Flinders in 1802. The lagoon is drained of water by tidal flow via a narrow channel of 3 to 5 metres (9.8–16.4 ft) in depth and which passes through the west branch in order to reach the east branch. The tidal flow is reported as being as high as .

The west branch has an average water depth of presumably at low water while the eastern branch has several deeper areas - the majority of its north side ranges in depth from 3 to 9.9 metres (9.8–32.5 ft) and its south side has a number of deeper areas in the range of 1 to 2.9 metres (3.3–9.5 ft).

Islets

A number of islets are present within Pelican Lagoon. Six of these are named as follows (from east to west): Rabbit Islet, Goanna Islet, Pig Islet, Wallaby Islet, Shag Rock and Samphire Islet.

Flora and fauna

Flora

Terrestrial

The islands within the lagoon support heathlands dominated by Coastal Daisybush and Thyme Riceflower. The coastline enclosing the lagoon supports a range of vegetation types dominated by heathlands of Acacia leiophylla and Orthrosanthus multiflorus, herb lands of Senecio odoratus, coastal mallee scrub of Eucalyptus diversifolia, samphire flats and grazed grasslands.

Intertidal and sub tidal

Samphire grows on the mud flats within the lagoon which are exposed at low water. The subtidal areas of the lagoon are dominated by the seagrass species of Heterozostera tasmanica and Posidonia australis. Various algae species are also present.

Fauna

Terrestrial

Waterbirds that use the lagoon include nine species that breed in the locality such as the chestnut teal, pied oystercatcher, sooty oystercatcher and caspian tern. Seventeen waterbird species are listed on international migratory treaties with sixteen listed on the Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA) and seventeen listed on the China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA). As of 1996, Black tiger snakes were reported as being present on the islands within the lagoon.

Intertidal and sub tidal

The lagoon is reported as a breeding site for the little penguin. The lagoon supports a number of marine animal species considered to be commercially valuable. These include sand crab, king scallop, queen scallop, razorfish (Pinna bicolor), southern calamari, flathead, King George whiting, leatherjacket, red mullet, snook, Southern Sea garfish, tommy ruff, trevally and Western Australian salmon. The lagoon is also reported as being home for a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins.

History

European discovery and use

The lagoon was discovered by Flinders on 4 April 1802 and was named in recognition of the large pelican population present at the time. Since the establishment of South Australia, the lagoon has also been known as American River. The islands within the lagoon were mined for guano under licence from the South Australian Government prior to 1919. As early as May 1905, fishing by the use of nets was prohibited both in Pelican Lagoon and adjoining waters in both American River and Eastern Cove. As early as 1908, the role of ‘Pelican Lagoon on the American River’ as a hatchery area was acknowledged by the South Australian government via statements attributed to Mr. S. McIntosh, the then Deputy Chief Inspector of Fisheries. By early 1925, the lagoon was reported as being closed to all types of fishing.

Ports and other settlements

Pelican Lagoon is bounded to the west by the locality of Muston and to the south and to the east by the locality of Pelican Lagoon which both include land zoned for residential accommodation

Protected area status

Generally

The lagoon is associated with three protected areas. The first is the American River Aquatic Reserve which covers the entire lagoon. The second is the Pelican Lagoon Conservation Park which includes five of the islands in the lagoon and much of the land on the peninsula to the north of the lagoon. The third is the Encounter Marine Park. The lagoon is also appears on a list of nationally important wetlands in South Australia as part of the ‘American River Wetland System’.

American River Aquatic Reserve

American River Aquatic Reserve which is also called the Pelican Lagoon Aquatic Reserve in some sources was declared in 1971 under the Fisheries Act 1971 and was re-proclaimed in 2007 following the enactment of the Fisheries Management Act 2007. It is reported as being the oldest operating aquatic reserve created under fisheries legislation in South Australia. The purpose of the reserve is to ‘protect seagrass mudflats and to provide a sanctuary for juvenile and adult fish including whiting.’ This is achieved by the prohibition of both fishing and the collection of marine organisms within its waters. Access is permitted and activities such as birdwatching, boating, swimming and recreational diving (i.e. snorkelling and scuba diving) are also permitted. The reserve covers the full extent of the lagoon up including part of the inlet stopping at a line running from Picnic Point across to the adjoining shore just south of the American River township.