Shark Bay marine reserves Shark Bay Marine Park and Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve
Stonefish are venemous and hard to see
More information Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Parks and Wildlife Service – Shark Bay District Knight Terrace, Denham WA 6537 Phone (08) 9948 2226 Fax (08) 9948 2201 www.sharkbay.org www.dbca.wa.gov.au Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Fisheries – Denham District Office Knight Terrace, Denham WA 6537 Phone (08) 9948 2250 Fax (08) 9948 1154 fish.wa.gov.au Bureau of Meteorology bom.gov.au/marine Shark Bay Volunteer Marine Rescue Marine parks… VHF 16, 27Mhz 88 WA’s submerged wonders Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Shark Bay is in a transition zone Department of between temperate and tropical Primary Industries and Regional Development waters. There are at least 320 fish Visitor guide species, many of them tropical, and more than 80 coral species in Shark Bay. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Photos Holley, Whitelaw, Reinhold, Vasyli Front cover – Fish community, Surf Point
Soft coral - off Dirk Hartog Island 20180017-0418-WEB Information current at April 2018 RECYCLE Please return unwanted brochures to distribution points The marine reserves of Shark Bay are most famous for the dolphins that visit the beach at Monkey Mia. People come from all over the world to see them. It is also a popular fishing destination but there is much more to Shark Bay Marine Park and Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve. The many bays, inlets and islands in Shark Bay Marine Park support an abundance of turtles, dugongs, sea snakes and sharks. There are also communities of seagrasses, corals, sponges and Emus bathing in Monkey Mia Green turtle other invertebrates, together with a mixture of tropical and temperate fish species. Extraordinary ecosystems Fishing Marine protected areas Covering over 4000km2, seagrass meadows are the foundation of Fishing is popular in Shark Bay Marine Park. However, fishing is not Shark Bay’s marine reserves are part of a network of marine Shark Bay marine ecosystems. They provide shelter permitted in sanctuary zones or in Hamelin Pool Marine Nature protected areas along the coast of Western Australia. This network and food for hundreds of species from molluscs and crustaceans Reserve. Not all types of fishing gear can be used in all marine park protects key areas and values including assets important to to fish and sea snakes. zones. See the map and recreation guide in this brochure for details. commercial and recreational fishers, such as schooling sites, nursery Seagrasses also create unusual salinity gradients by trapping Please also make sure you follow the rules for fishing in areas, spawning and breeding grounds, and culturally significant sediment and building sills that restrict water flow. The work Western Australia. You can find these rules at fish.wa.gov.au. places from Aboriginal sites to historic shipwrecks. of seagrasses is so important that these processes are among Never discard bait, fish remains or other offal near the shore as this the reasons Shark Bay is World Heritage listed. The marine reserve network also supports tourism activities attracts predators like sharks. Never offer bait or fish to dolphins or like whale watching, dolphin viewing, scuba diving, snorkelling, sea birds as this can create dependency and have negative impacts kayaking, and boat tours. It provides opportunities for scientific Aboriginal connection on them. research and education about marine conservation, marine ecology Shark Bay is the traditional country of three Aboriginal language and marine park management. groups: the Malgana, Nhanda and Yingkarta. The Malgana name Boat launch facilities for Shark Bay is Gutharraguda, meaning ‘two bays’. World Heritage Boat launch facilities are located throughout Shark Bay, including The area is important to local Aboriginal people who have a long sealed boat ramps at Denham, Monkey Mia and Carnarvon. For other Shark Bay Marine Park and Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve history of connection to the land and sea. There are many Aboriginal boat launch and beach access sites see the brochures for Francois lie within the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, which is valued sites along the shoreline, including over 80 shell middens which Peron National Park, Dirk Hartog Island National Park and Edel Land internationally for its rich and abundant marine life and spectacular are mounds built up over hundreds of years. National Park (proposed). scenery where the desert meets the sea. Shark Bay is in a transition zone between temperate and tropical Things to see and do Camping and facilities waters. There are at least 320 fish species, many of them tropical, Parks and reserves adjacent to Shark Bay Marine Park have visitor and more than 80 coral species in Shark Bay. Marine wildlife viewing facilities and campsites. For more information see the brochures for Extensive seagrass meadows support over 10,000 dugongs and Boating is popular in Shark Bay, although not the only way to see Monkey Mia Reserve, Francois Peron National Park, Dirk Hartog Island create environments that favour stromatolites, fragum cockles and marine wildlife. Kayaking, canoeing and stand-up paddle boarding National Park and Edel Land National Park (proposed). a pink snapper unique to Shark Bay. are other ways to enjoy the scenery and wildlife. Visitor facilities are also provided at Shell Beach Conservation Park Also noted in the World Heritage values of Shark Bay is the You can also view marine wildlife from lookouts at Eagle Bluff and and Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve. Bush camping is not huge number of humpback whales visiting the bay during their Skipjack Point and the boardwalk at Hamelin Pool. Sea snakes, turtles, permitted within these reserves, although there are commercial southward migration in spring. dugongs and fish are also seen from the jetties at Denham and camping and accommodation facilities at Hamelin Pool. Monkey Mia. Shark Bay Marine Park zones Special purpose zones Shark Bay Marine Park is zoned to enable multiple use – recreation, Special purpose zones are areas protected for their high priority commercial and biodiversity conservation. The location and conservation values. Only activities compatible with each special coordinates of these zones are shown on the map in this brochure purpose are permitted in these zones. The special purpose zones alongside the recreation guide, which lists the activities permitted are for: in each zone. • wildlife viewing and protection at Cape Peron Sanctuary zones • seagrass protection at Wooramel • dugong protection at Gladstone Sanctuary zones are ‘look but don’t take’ areas managed for nature conservation and appreciation. You may boat, swim and dive in • nursery protection at Big Lagoon sanctuary zones, but fishing is not permitted. • habitat protection in the south of Henri Freycinet Harbour. The Gudrun Wreck Sanctuary Zone is the largest wooden shipwreck General use zone found off Western Australia. The Gudrun sank at Shark Bay in 1901 carrying timber from Bunbury to England. It now lies in about six The general use zone is the largest and enables a wide range metres of water north of Cape Peron and is inhabited by a rich of commercial and recreational activities, including boating, variety of marine life. swimming, diving, fishing, aquaculture and pearling.
Other sanctuary zones are at Surf Point, Sandy Point, Mary Dugong Anne Island, Eighteen Mile, L’haridon Bight, Big Lagoon and Disappointment Reach. Recreation zones Recreation zones are for activities like fishing, diving and swimming. Commercial fishing and activities like aquaculture and pearling are not permitted in recreation zones. Monkey Mia Recreation Zone has extra measures to protect the visiting dolphins. Motorised water sports, spearfishing, netting and crabbing are not permitted in the recreation zone. Also, no corals, shells, fish or other marine specimens may be collected (alive or dead). Line fishing is one exception and is permitted outside the dolphin experience area. Little Lagoon and Dubaut Inlet are other recreation zones in Shark Bay.
Tubeworm Bar-bellied sea snake Humpback whale Seagrass in Shark Bay Boat safely in Shark Bay Marine Park • Plan your trip well and observe standard safety precautions. • Always check the weather forecast before you leave. • Boat according to your skills, experience and the conditions. • While on the water keep an eye on the weather and the water at all times. Boats have been swamped and lives lost by unexpected waves. • Carry the safety equipment relevant to your vessel and one life jacket for each person on board. • Ensure your boat is in good working order and has extra fuel. • Carry enough water, food supplies and sun protection for your trip. • Let a responsible adult know about your trip. • Keep at least 50m clear of dive flags.
Stromatolites • Avoid anchoring close to cliff edges. Take care when diving Hamelin Pool Marine Look after marine wildlife or snorkelling Nature Reserve • Dispose of all litter properly. • Only dive and snorkel on a slack tide. • Stay alert for boat traffic. Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve is a ‘look but don’t take’ area • Be especially careful with fishing line and plastics as birds managed solely for conserving internationally significant marine and marine animals can die from eating plastics or becoming • Display a dive flag when diving. The minimum flag size is 750 by life. entangled in lines, nets and ropes. 600mm. • Slow down in your boat if you see turtles or dugongs. Avoid • It is recommended that a dive flag is displayed when snorkelling The diversity of cyanobacteria and other microbes in Hamelin Pool hitting these animals. rivals the biodiversity of rainforests. They grow in colonies forming more than 200m from the shore. microbial mats and microbialites, including stromatolites, which are • Drive slowly and navigate within marked channels to avoid • Act responsibly when interacting with marine plants and known as living fossils. hitting marine animals. animals. These mats and structures are an important part of Shark Bay’s • If a dolphin approaches you while fishing, please take your line • Make sure your diving gear is secured, not dangling, and be World Heritage listing. They are also fragile and can take hundreds out of the water. careful where you kick. of years to recover if damaged. • Do not take a boat within 100m of a dolphin or whale. • Always leave someone onboard when diving or snorkelling from a boat. Protect Hamelin Pool • Do not cross seagrass banks at low tide. • Protect birds by not feeding them or leaving baited lines exposed. • Many marine animals use venom or toxins for catching prey or • Use the boardwalk and walk trail at Hamelin Pool. Do not walk defending themselves. Some can cause serious harm to people. on the beach below the high tide mark. • Current fishing regulations are available from fish.wa.gov.au. • Shipwrecks are protected and the removal of artefacts is • Boating, swimming, diving and snorkelling are not permitted • Observe fishing regulations and fish for a feed, not the freezer. prohibited. Please help preserve our maritime heritage by over stromatolites or within 300m of the shore. • Anchor in sand to protect fragile reef, sponge and seagrass leaving wrecks undisturbed. • Boat anchoring is not permitted over stromatolites throughout communities. the reserve. • Do not run boats ashore over marine mats or stromatolites. HAMELIN POOL SHARK BAY MARINE PARK ACTIVITIES MARINE NATURE 1. This table is for recreational activities only. For information on 3 SANCTUARY SPECIAL PURPOSE RECREATION GENERAL USE RESERVE ZONE ZONE ZONE ZONE permissible commercial activities contact the numbers below.
2 Only at Freycinet SPZ and 2 2. Charter vessel fishing is not permitted in recreation zones. Fishing from guided charter vessels Wooramel SPZ 3. Public access to view the stromatolites is only available via a 7 Line fishing boardwalk at the Hamelin Pool Telegraph Station.
Crabbing 4. Boating, anchoring, swimming, diving and snorkelling is not permitted over stromatolites or within 300m of the shore in the
D E Rock lobster fishing Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve. Boats are not to be run I ashore over marine algal mats or stromatolites in the reserve. Netting (Note: DPIRD licence is required for the See 5 5. Set netting is permitted in Freycinet and Wooramel special use of all nets) purpose zones all year round. Set netting is permitted in Gladstone Special Purpose Zone only when these waters are open to boating Only at Gladstone SPZ, Spearfishing - breath-hold only (see inset 13 below for closed boating periods). Set netting is not 8 Freycinet SPZ and (No SCUBA or hookah) Wooramel SPZ permitted in Big Lagoon, Boorabuggatta or Cape Peron special IO N G U purpose zones. Haul netting is permitted in all special purpose Coral, shell and specimen collecting zones, but only in Gladstone Special Purpose Zone when these (alive and dead) waters are open to boating.
Aquarium fish collecting 6. Permitted in all special purpose zones, but only in Gladstone 4 7 Special Purpose Zone when these waters are open to boating (see Diving inset 13 below for closed boating periods). 4 7
R E C R E A T A E R R EC Snorkelling 7. Except in Monkey Mia dolphin interaction area. Motorised water sports 8. No spearfishing using SCUBA or hookah allowed in Hamelin Boating, yachts and non-motorised 4 7 Pool Marine Nature reserve or Shark Bay Marine Park. 9 See 6 water sports 9. Contact Department of Transport for further boating details. Contacts: DBCA (Denham) - (08) 9948 2226 DPIRD (Denham) - (08) 9948 1210 Department of Transport (Carnarvon) - (08) 9941 6800
1. Sandy Point Sanctuary Zone 2. Surf Point Sanctuary Zone 3. Boorabuggatta & Freycinet Special Purpose Zone
25º 40.596' S 26º 29.325' S A 113º 04.800' E 26º 29.325' S 113º 37.101' E 26º 07.352' S 113º 36.892' E 25º 41.328' S 113º 10.887' E H 113º 06.297' E WM B 26º 07.800' S C 25º 42.536' S 113º 10.420' E 113º 07.110' E 26º 07.800' S D 113º 12.180' E A - 25º 40.746' S 113º 03.658' E E 25º 43.947' S B - 25º 41.832' S 113º 03.844' E 113º 07.050' E C - 25º 42.443' S 113º 04.256' E F G HWM D - 25º 43.158' S 113º 04.842' E E - 25º 43.768' S 113º 04.455' E H 25º 45.167' S 113º 06.297' E M F - 25º 44.717' S 113º 05.052' E I W H G - 25º 44.366' S 113º 04.673' E H - 25º 45.279' S 113º 04.968' E 024 012 01
I - 25º 45.653' S 113º 05.137' E Kilometres Kilometres Kilometres
4. Mary Anne Island Sanctuary Zone 5. Eighteen Mile Sanctuary Zone 6. Little Lagoon Recreation Zone
26º 25.925' S 26º 25.925' S 113º 51.864' E 113º 53.057' E
26º 28.548' S 26º 28.548' S 113º 41.647' E 113º 40.544' E 25º 53.948' S 25º 53.948' S 113º 31.251' E 113º 31.416' E
26º 29.202' S 113º 41.647' E
HWM M 25º 54.243' S 26º 29.607' S 26º 29.607' S HW 113º 31.251' E 113º 40.544' E 113º 41.647' E 25º 54.243' S 113º 31.400' E 26º 31.925' S 113º 50.848' E 012024 26º 31.925' S 00.5 1 113º 51.979' E Kilometres Kilometres Kilometres
7. Big Lagoon Sanctuary & Special Purpose Zone 8. Cape Peron Special Purpose Zone 9. Gudrun Wreck Sanctuary Zone
024
Kilometres
H W
M 25º 24.855' S 25º 24.855' S 25º 29.705' S 25º 29.705' S 113º 31.013' E 113º 32.213' E 113º 29.983' E 113º 31.633' E
25º 45.925 S 113º 27.253' E 25º 46.095' S 113º 28.083' E 25º 46.725' S HW
113º 27.466' E M H 25º 30.845' S WM 25º 30.833' S 25º 46.725' S 113º 31.633' E 113º 26.603' E 113º 29.983' E 25º 25.955' S 25º 25.955' S 25º 30.845' S 113º 31.013' E 113º 32.213' E 113º 31.011' E
012 012 25º 48.545' S 25º 48.545' S 113º 26.603' E 113º 27.816' E Kilometres Kilometres
10. Monkey Mia Recreation Zone 11. Dubaut Inlet Recreation Zone 12. Lharidon Bight Sanctuary Zone 13. Gladstone Special Purpose Zone
25º 51.842' S 25º 50.544' S 25º 50.544' S 113º 43.500' E 114º 08.733' E 114º 15.418' E 25º 47.133' S 25º 47.133' S 113º 43.673' E Waters closed to 113º 42.725' E 25º 51.902' S boating for dugong 113º 43.500' E 26º 08.298' S protection 113º 50.279' E 1 Sept - 15 Mar 1 Dec - 31 Mar 26º 09.920' S 113º 43.020' E M 25º 47.648' S B C 25º 55.596' S HW 113º 42.725' E HWM A D M 114º 08.733' E HW 25º 55.874' S Nav. Markers 114º 14.713' E 25º 55.874' S 25º 47.865' S 114º 14.990' E 25º 55.895' S Dolphin 113º 43.673' E 25º 57.157' S 114º 08.733' E Interaction HW 25º 57.157' S 114º 14.696' E 25º 47.977' S M Area 113º 43.345' E 114º 14.419' E 25º 58.924' S 25º 58.924' S A - 113º 43.120' E & HWM 114º 08.733' E 114º 11.756' E B - 25º 47.555' S 113º 43.142' E 00.5 1 012 024 C - 25º 47.569' S 113º 43.196' E 0510 D - 113º 43.193' E & HWM Kilometres Kilometres Kilometres Kilometres