Great Australian Bight Marine Park Whale Sanctuary

Great Australian Bight Marine Park Whale Sanctuary was a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located immediately off the coastline of the Great Australian Bight in waters about 790 km (491 mi) west-northwest of the state capital of Adelaide.

Great Australian Bight Marine Park Whale Sanctuary
South Australia
Viewing platform at the Head of the Bight
Great Australian Bight Marine Park Whale Sanctuary is located in South Australia
Great Australian Bight Marine Park Whale Sanctuary
Great Australian Bight Marine Park Whale Sanctuary
Nearest town or cityFowlers Bay
Coordinates31°29′36″S 131°09′30.9″E / 31.49333°S 131.158583°E / -31.49333; 131.158583
Established22 June 1995[2]
Abolished20 October 2016
Area435.87 km2 (168.3 sq mi)[3]
Managing authoritiesDepartment of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (2016)
See alsoProtected areas of South Australia

It extended from 130 degrees 45.5 minutes east at its western boundary to 131 degrees 30 minutes east at its eastern boundary, and from the coastline for a distance of 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi).[3] It was bounded by the Great Australian Bight Marine National Park to its immediate west and east and its extent included the bay known as the Head of Bight. It was also part of the group of marine protected areas which are located together in waters within Australian and South Australian jurisdictions within the Great Australian Bight and which is collectively known as the Great Australian Bight Marine Park.[4] Since late 2012, both the whale sanctuary and the national park have also been within the boundaries of the Far West Coast Marine Park.[5]

The whale sanctuary was originally proclaimed as a marine park under the Fisheries Act 1982 (SA) by the South Australian Government on 22 June 1995 to protect waters used by Southern right whales for breeding and calving.[2] It was re-classified as an aquatic reserve after the repeal of the Fisheries Act 1982 by the Fisheries Management Act 2007 (SA) in 2007.[6] It was abolished on 20 October 2016.[7]

The whale sanctuary was classified as an IUCN Category Ia protected area.[1]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters) Management Plan 2005-2012. Director of National Parks, Commonwealth of Australia. 2005. p. 3. ISBN 0 642 550794.
  2. ^ a b Ingerson, G.A. (22 June 1995). "FISHERIES ACT 1982 SECTION 48(1): DECLARATION OF MARINE PARK-GREAT AUSTRALIAN BIGHT MARINE PARK WHALE SANCTUARY" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. p. 2896. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b Great Australian Bight Marine Park Management Plan Part A - Management Prescriptions (PDF). Department for Environment, Heritage and Aboriginal Affairs (DEHAA), South Australia. 1998. p. 2.
  4. ^ Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters and State Waters) – A Description of Values and Uses (PDF). Director of National Parks (Australian Government, Department of the Environment & Heritage). 2005. p. 5. ISBN 0-642-55079-4. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  5. ^ Far West Coast Marine Park Management Plan 2012 (PDF). Department for Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR). 2012. pp. 3, 25, 27 & 29.
  6. ^ "National Parks and Wildlife (Protected Animals—Marine Mammals) Regulations 2010—1.7.2018" (PDF). South Australian Legislation. Government of South Australia. 1 July 2018. p. 2. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Fisheries Management (Abolition of Aquatic Reserve) Proclamation 2016". The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. 20 October 2016. p. 4070. Retrieved 5 December 2019.