Shark Bay Marine Park

This article is about the marine park. For the UNESCO World Heritage Area, see Shark Bay. For the local government area, see Shire of Shark Bay.

For other uses, see Shark Bay (disambiguation).

Shark Bay Marine Park Western Australia
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
A dolphin at Monkey Mia in the marine park
Shark Bay Marine Park
Nearest town or city	Denham
Coordinates	25°48′S 113°45′E
Established	30 November 1990 (1990-11-30)[1]
Area	7,487.25 km^2 (2,890.8 sq mi)[2]
Managing authorities	Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
Website	Shark Bay Marine Park
See also	List of protected areas of Western Australia

The Shark Bay Marine Park is a protected marine park located within the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Shark Bay, in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The 748,725-hectare (1,850,140-acre)[2] marine park is situated over 800 kilometres (500 mi) north of Perth and 400 kilometres (250 mi) north of Geraldton.[3][4]

The marine park is known for its large marine animals, such as the famous Monkey Mia dolphins, turtles, dugongs and sharks. The park and its vast seagrass meadows, with a total of twelve species of seagrass in the park, form an important part of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area.[5][6]

Major reference points of its boundaries include Steep Point at the south side of Dirk Hartog Island and Cape Inscription at the north side.^[citation needed]

Fishing

Fishing in the marine park are governed by the Gascoyne Fishing Rules[3] that specify the waters and species[7] of the Shark Bay area, also known as the Shark Bay Inner Gulfs:

• Eastern Gulf Zone: the region located east of the Peron Peninsula and north from Cape Peron North (25°30.2′S 113°30.6′E to a line at 25°16.6'S) and east to the coast of the mainland. Fishing is not permitted in the southern portion of this zone, the Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve.
• Denham Sound: the region also known as the Western Gulf Zone, south to line at Goulet Bluff (25°13’S) which separates the Freycinet Estuary.

See also

• Protected areas of Western Australia
• Australian marine parks

References

1. "Marine CAPAD 2022 WA summary". www.dcceew.gov.au/. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
2. "Shark Bay, Western Australia". World Heritage List. UNESCO. 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
3. "Shark Bay Marine Park and Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve: recreation guide" (PDF). WA Department of Environment and Conservation; and WA Department of Fisheries (PDF). Government of Western Australia. November 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
4. Shark Bay Marine Reserves Draft Management Plan: Shark Bay Marine Park, Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve. WA Department of Conservation and Land Management; and WA National Parks and Nature Conservation Authority. Perth, Western Australia: Government of Western Australia. 1994.
5. "Shark Bay Marine Park". WA Department of Parks and Wildlife. Government of Western Australia. 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
6. "Shark Bay World Heritage Site, Australia". Earth Snapshot. Rome, Italy: Chelys. 1 March 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
7. "Recreational fishing guide" (PDF). WA Department of Fisheries (PDF). Government of Western Australia. August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.

Further reading

• Sumner, Neil R.; Steckis, R. A. (1999). Statistical analysis of Gascoyne region recreational fishing study July 1996. Fisheries Western Australia: Fisheries research report. North Beach, WA: Government of Western Australia. ISSN 1035-4549.
• Thomson, Carolyn (1997). Discovering Shark Bay Marine Park and Monkey Mia. WA Department of Conservation and Land Management. Como, WA: Government of Western Australia. ISBN 0-7309-6854-5.