Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserve

Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserve
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
A map showing the location of Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Location Pacific Ocean, Australia
Nearest town Cockle Creek, Tasmania
Coordinates 44°19′S 147°47′E / 44.31°S 147.78°E / -44.31; 147.78Coordinates: 44°19′S 147°47′E / 44.31°S 147.78°E / -44.31; 147.78[1]
Area 9,991 km2 (3,858 sq mi)
Established May 12, 1999 (1999-05-12)
Governing body Parks Australia (Commonwealth of Australia)
environment.gov.au/topics/marine/marine-reserves/south-east/huon

Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserve is a 9,991 km2 marine protected area within Australian waters. The former Tasmanian Seamounts Marine Reserve created in 1999[2] was incorporated into the Huon reserve in 2007,[3][4] and is part of the South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network.

Huon reserve contains a cluster of approximately 70 seamounts peaking 750 m (2,460 ft) to 1,700 m (5,600 ft) above the sea floor. They appear as cone-shaped submerged mountains, which provide a range of depths for a diversity of plants and animals. The reserve is a foraging area for great white sharks and seabirds and a spawning or nursery area for important commercial fish, including ocean perch and blue warehou.[4]

Protection

A majority of the Huon marine reserve area is IUCN protected area category VI and zoned as 'Multiple Use'. A smaller section of 'Habitat Protection Zone' in the west of the reserve protects the unique and vulnerable benthic communities of the reserve's seamounts.[4]

Zone IUCN Activities permitted Area
(km2)
Recreational fishing Commercial fishing Mining
Habitat Protection IV Yes with approval No 389
Multiple Use VI Yes with approval with approval 9,602
[Note 1]

See also

Notes

  1. Summary of permitted activities only, see source for details[5]

References

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