Murray Commonwealth Marine Reserve Explained

Murray Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Iucn Category:	VI
Location:	Indian Ocean, Australia
Coordinates:	-37.92°N 137.27°W
Coords Ref:	^[1]
Nearest Town:	Victor Harbor, South Australia
Area Km2:	25803
Governing Body:	Parks Australia (Commonwealth of Australia)
Url:	http://environment.gov.au/topics/marine/marine-reserves/south-east/murray

Murray Commonwealth Marine Reserve is a 25,803 km² marine protected area within Australian waters located off the coast of South Australia. The reserve was established in 2007^[2] and is part of the South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network.

The reserve features the Murray Canyon which descends to 4600m (15,100feet) below sea level and stretches for more than 150km (90miles). The southern right whale uses the inshore area of the reserve to nurse its young.^[3]

Protection

Most of the Murray marine reserve area is IUCN protected area category VI, however there are multiple zoned areas within the reserve with different protection classifications.^[3]

Zone	IUCN	Activities permitted			Area (km^2)
		Recreational fishing	Commercial fishing	Mining
Marine National Park	II				12,749
Special Purpose	VI				7,147
Multiple Use	VI				5,907

See also

• Commonwealth marine reserves
• Protected areas of Australia
• Great Australian Bight
• Indian Ocean

External links

• Murray Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Murray Commonwealth Marine Reserve on OpenStreetMap . openstreetmap.org . © OpenStreetMap contributors . 16 June 2017.
2. Web site: Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) 2014 - Marine . environment.gov.au . . 16 June 2017.
3. Web site: Murray Commonwealth Marine Reserve . environment.gov.au . . 16 June 2017.