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 Commonwealth Marine Reserve | |
|---|---|
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources) | |
 Map showing the 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[1] |
| Area | 9,991 km2 (3,858 sq mi) |
| Established | May 12, 1999 |
| Governing body | Parks Australia (Commonwealth of Australia) |
| environment | |
Huon reserve contains a cluster of approximately 70[citation needed] 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
editA 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
edit
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserve on OpenStreetMap". openstreetmap.org. © OpenStreetMap contributors. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 - Proclamation - Tasmanian Seamounts". legislation.gov.au. Government of Tasmania. 12 May 1999. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) 2014 - Marine". environment.gov.au. © Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ^ a b c "Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserve". environment.gov.au. © Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network - Zoning and activities". environment.gov.au. © Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2017.