Fauna
Lake Awoonga is home to an array of small animals, several of which are of conservation significance including the Grey-headed Flying Fox and the Yellow-bellied Glider. Aquatic vegetation maintains an array of small animals that support the fish, eels, turtles, platypus and birds. Other species of birds, reptiles, and native fauna including bandicoots, rufous bettongs, kangaroos, wallabies, Greater Gliders, and brushtail possums can be found around the lake.
The lake hosts more than 225 species of birds. Species include the Southern Squatter Pigeon which is listed as vulnerable and a further twenty-seven bird species listed on International Migratory Conservation Agreement Lists.
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Wedge-tailed Eagle
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Eastern Water Dragon
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Plumed Whistling Duck
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Blue-winged Kookaburra
The Gladstone Area Water Board has a fish breeding program in place and breeds Barramundi and Mangrove Jack for stocking into Lake Awoonga as well as some of the surrounding waterways. Approximately 200,000 fish are released into Lake Awoonga each year (200,000 Barramundi and small numbers of Mangrove Jack). The fish are bred at a purpose-built fish hatchery, operated jointly by the Gladstone Area Water Board and the Gladstone Ports Corporation.
The hatchery is one of the largest breeders of barramundi fingerlings in Queensland and their mangrove jack breeding program has resulted in Lake Awoonga holding the largest stocks in Australia with more than 50,000 released. Other fish species include Agassiz's Glass Perch, Banded Grunter, Barramundi, Bony Bream, Eastern Rainbowfish, Eeltail catfish, Fly-specked Hardyhead, Forktail Catfish, Gudgeon, Long-finned Eel, Longtom, Mouth Almighty, Sea Mullet, Snub-nose Garfish, Spangled Perch. Also present in low numbers are Hyrtl’s Tandan, Mangrove Jack, Saratoga, Silver Perch, Sleepy Cod, Sooty Grunter, and Yellowbelly) Since 1996, over 2.5 million barramundi fingerlings and 470,000 mullet fingerlings have been released into the Lake. Barramundi in the 10–25 kg range are regularly caught from the lake.
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