Marine Park
Marine Park
Great Australian Bight Marine Park
The Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters) is in the Great Australian Bight stretching from 200 km west of Ceduna in South Australia following the coast to the Western Australian border. The Park includes a 20 nautical wide strip extending to 200 nautical miles offshore. The Park is made is made up of adjoining Commonwealth and South Australian protected areas.
The Commonwealth waters component of the Marine Park comprises two overlapping zones that form a T shape. Directly adjacent to the South Australian Marine Park is the Marine Mammal Protection Zone that extends from three nautical miles to approximately 12 nautical miles offshore. This area is primarily intended to provide for undisturbed calving for the southern right whale and protection of Australian Sea-lion colonies.
To the west of the Head of Bight is the Benthic Protection Zone, a 20 nautical mile-wide representative strip of the ocean floor extending 200 nautical miles from the edge of the State Park (at three nautical miles) directly south to the edge of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Australia. This area aims to protect a sample of the unique and diverse plants and animals that live on, and are associated with, the ocean floor. The Commonwealth waters component encompasses the waters, sea-bed and the subsoil to a depth of 1000 metres below the sea bed, total area is 19,769 square kilometres.
For more information
For more information on the Great Australian Bight Marine Park visit: http://www.environment.gov.au