Shark Bay Marine Park Explained

Type:	protected
Shark Bay Marine Park
State:	wa
Iucn Category:	VI
Local Map:	yes
Zoom:	7
Coordinates:	-25.8°N 158°W
Relief:	yes
Nearest Town Or City:	Denham
Area:	7487.25
Area Footnotes:	^[1]
Established Footnotes:	^[2]
Managing Authorities:	WA Department of Parks and Wildlife
Url:	http://parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/park/shark-bay

The Shark Bay Marine Park is protected marine park located within the UNESCO World Heritagelisted Shark Bay, in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The 748725ha^[1] marine park is situated over 800-2NaN-2 north of Perth and 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 that 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.

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 (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

Further reading

• Book: Sumner, Neil R.. Steckis, R. A.. 1999. Statistical analysis of Gascoyne region recreational fishing study July 1996. North Beach, WA. Fisheries Western Australia: Fisheries research report. Government of Western Australia. 1035-4549. 115.
• Book: Thomson, Carolyn. 1997. Discovering Shark Bay Marine Park and Monkey Mia. Como, WA. WA Department of Conservation and Land Management. Government of Western Australia. 0-7309-6854-5.

Notes and References

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