Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserve

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
LocationPacific Ocean, Australia
Nearest townCockle Creek, Tasmania
Coordinates44.31°S 147.78°E / -44.31; 147.78[1]
Area9,991 km2 (3,858 sq mi)
EstablishedMay 12, 1999 (1999-05-12)
Governing bodyParks Australia (Commonwealth of Australia)
environment.gov.au/topics/marine/marine-reserves/south-east/huon

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
  1. "Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserve on OpenStreetMap". openstreetmap.org. © OpenStreetMap contributors. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  2. "Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 - Proclamation - Tasmanian Seamounts". legislation.gov.au. Government of Tasmania. 12 May 1999. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  3. "Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) 2014 - Marine". environment.gov.au. © Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  4. "Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserve". environment.gov.au. © Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  5. "South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network - Zoning and activities". environment.gov.au. © Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
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