The Fish Pond

The Lady Denman Marine Reserve is a predominantly tidal enclosure within an estuary which provides a sustainable habitat for species from several habitat zones in Jervis Bay.

The Pond is a gazetted Fish Reserve, managed by the Lady Denman Heritage Complex and the New South Wales Department of Fisheries.

The Reserve supports:

Large pelagic species such as:
Tailor;
Snapper; and
Kingfish.
Mid-zone fish such as:
Bream; and
Mullet.
Bottom-dwellers such as:
Flathead;
Flounder; and
Stingrays.
Rocky habitat species such as:
Gobies and Blennies;
Octopus; and
Species from reef and rock pools.

The largest and most conspicuous species are the most popular with visitors - some of the snapper, tailor and flathead weigh in excess of six kilograms. Most of these larger inhabitants have been introduced on a trial-and-error basis over the past years by fishermen and LDHC volunteer, Barry Watts, who also planted seagrasses and added various molluscs and other invertebrates to encourage a self-sustaining marine eco-system.

The Pond now reflects an interconnected biodiversity of Jervis Bay and South Coast water systems, and is a source of increasing fascination with visitors and locals.

Fish feeding is allowed at the Pond, but only using fish food which is available for purchase from the Museum Shop.

See the Fact Sheet for more information.

---