Encounter Marine Park Draft Management Plan Summary Government of South Australia www.marineparks.sa.gov.au South Australians have a proud history of conserving our wild and natural places. Our National Parks and reserves are icons that hold countless special memories and link us to our natural history. Now it’s time to turn our attention to our coastal waters. Southern Australia’s waters are home to an South Australia’s marine parks have been a decade in amazing diversity of marine life, with about 85 the making. When zoning comes in to effect, they’ll per cent of marine species found nowhere else in help protect our most precious marine areas while still the world. However our waters are not immune to allowing South Australia to prosper. You and I will global challenges such as pollution, resource use, still be able to enjoy our favourite pastimes, including development, pest organisms and climate change. recreational fishing which has been crucial to the design Marine parks with sanctuary zones will help us protect of these parks. our marine environment from the increasing pressure it The journey that’s brought us to the draft management is under. Currently only about 1 per cent of our coastal plan (summarised in this guide for you) has been the waters are under high-level protection. By setting aside most comprehensive public engagement program in additional areas as sanctuary zones we are making an South Australia’s history. In that time we have worked important investment for the future. with 14 local advisory groups, the conservation sector The Encounter Marine Park conserves some of South and various fishing groups, as well as listened to more Australia’s most iconic marine environments, from the than 30,000 South Australians. base of the Fleurieu Peninsula to the north-eastern coast Now it is your chance to review these draft plans and of Kangaroo Island and the Coorong. make a submission if you wish. This summary brochure Its diversity of marine life can be attributed to the contains the essential details for how we propose to combination of deep ocean trenches, shallow sheltered zone and manage the Encounter Marine Park and how bays, rocky reefs, sandy beaches and high-energy to make a submission. coastlines. It hosts a range of sea life including sponge Copies of draft management plans and other gardens, dense seagrass meadows and complex reef supporting information for each of the 19 marine parks communities. are available at www.marineparks.sa.gov.au, at public The park includes one of SA’s best dive sites in the information sessions across the state or by telephoning existing Aldinga Reef Aquatic Reserve. freecall 1800 006 120. Some of the special places, plants and animals to We have been determined to get the balance right get high level protection under this plan include an between community needs and conservation. Australian sea lion breeding colony at the Pages Islands; Experiences elsewhere have shown that community fish nurseries in Pelican Lagoon and the Bay of Shoals; ownership of marine parks is central to their long-term site-attached reef fish including western blue groper success. and harlequin fish; unique, giant sponge gardens and With that in mind, I encourage you to carefully consider colourful bryozoans in the deep waters of Backstairs the Government’s proposal and to have your say. Passage; leafy and weedy sea dragons; a major whale aggregation and calving area; and migratory and resident shorebird feeding and resting grounds. Hon Paul Caica MP Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation What the zones do and why Where can The Key Activities and Uses Guide summarises the major recreational fishers activities permitted in each marine park zone. wet a line? General Managed Use Zones (GMUZ) A high level of protection is also provided Zone 3or 5 allow ecologically sustainable development for the breeding, nursery and/or foraging and use. areas for many species of conservation GMUZ 3 Seven GMUZ are proposed, covering 28% concern including southern right whales, HPZ 3 of the Encounter Marine Park. These zones Australian sea lions, leafy and weedy sea link different regions of the marine park dragons, seabird and shorebird species and SZ 5 and provide for the existing commercial a wide range of fish, shellfish, crustaceans and other species. RAZ 5 prawn trawling activities, petroleum exploration licences in Gulf St. Vincent Restricted Access Zones (RAZ) limit and shipping and aquaculture activities in access to an area allowing a very high level Nepean Bay, Kangaroo Island. of conservation and providing scientific Habitat Protection Zones (HPZ) allow reference sites. activities and uses that do not harm Four small RAZ are proposed, covering less habitats or the functioning of ecosystems. than 1% of this park. Three RAZ overlay Six HPZ are proposed, covering 63% of this the current access restrictions to the Pages park. HPZ buffer the proposed sanctuary Islands and Busby Islet under the National zones and help to protect important Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. One RAZ seagrass, deep sea sponge gardens, overlays current access restrictions at the algae habitats and rocky reefs, as well as West Island Aquatic Reserve, under the estuaries, areas of unmapped habitats, Fisheries Management Act 2007. foraging sites for seals and sea lions and Special Purpose Areas (SPA) allow whale aggregation areas. Their design helps specified activities that would otherwise be ensure that most areas of commercial and prohibited in a particular zone. recreational fishing importance remain There are 12 proposed SPA in the available for fishing. Encounter Marine Park. Six SPA provide for Sanctuary Zones (SZ) prohibit the the ongoing management of harbors, while removal or harm of plants, animals or one provides for the ongoing management marine products to provide a high level of of the underwater cable in Backstairs conservation. Passage. Four proposed SPA provide The 11 proposed SZ are the core for shore-based recreational line fishing conservation areas, covering 9% of this adjacent to proposed sanctuary zones at park. The proposed SZ provide a high level Bashams Beach, Fisherman Bay, Crockery of protection for species, ecological features Bay, and Port Noarlunga beach. One SPA and habitats of conservation importance provides for ongoing dredging activities at including seagrass meadows, deep sea the Murray Mouth. sponge gardens, algae habitats, reefs, estuaries and areas of unmapped habitats. Proposed activities and uses permissible in each marine park zone are set out in the zoning tables, available in the South Australia’s Marine Parks Network Explanatory Document or at www.marineparks.sa.gov.au Marino Conservation Park Marine Park 15 - EncounteHarllett Cove 11 Conservation Park 137°30'E 137°40'E 137°50'E 138°E 138°10'E 138°20'E 138°30'E 138°40'E 138°50'E 139°E 139°10'E Inset 1 Christies Beach Beach Road Middleton S S ' ' 0 0 1 1 Be B ° GMUZ-1 ° a 5 1 a s 2 5 Witton Bluff c h 3 3 1 h a - 1&2 m R A d SP Coorong Beach North SZ (31km2) Part of an internationally listed Ramsar wetland site, this zone is a HPZ-2 cross section of typical Coorong habitats including beach, HPZ-1 Basham Beach dunes and shallow lagoons. 9 - Important site for migratory birds. A Fisherman Bay SPA-6 P 3 Aldinga SPA-11 SZ-2 S HPZ-3 HPZ-4 SZ-3 SZ-1 SPA-10 Port Elliot Crockery Bay 10 Commodore Point S S ' ' Aldinga Bay 0 0 SZ-6 SZ-7 2 2 ° ° 5 5 Pullen 3 3 Onkaparinga Head 4 Island Myponga Beach 0 2 0 2 Inset 3 0 2 2 SZ-4 Inset 2 Kms Kms Inset 1 Kms Carrickalinga 5 Normanville 2 Yankalilla Bay Encounter SZ (29km ) Iconic southern right whale gathering site and calving area. HMAS Hobart Shipwreck Goolwa S S GMUZ-3 ' ' 0 0 Inset 2 3 3 ° ° 6 GMUZ-2 SZ-5 SPA-1 la 5 5 u 3 3 Rapid s Second Valley in Head en GMUZ-4 P 9 u Victor Harbor Inset 3 ie ur SPA-6 Murray SPA-8 le Mouth F SZ-6 Encounter Bay Cape Jervis RAZ-4 HPZ-6 SZ-8 Busby HPZ-5 8 SPA-2 West Islet SZ-7 RAZ-1 Pa Island rso W T ait un ns pi Kingscote ka B ng 2 S B a S ' a lill ea B ' The Pages SZ and RAZ (42km ) 0 0 ck a ch e 4 4 st B a ° ° a ea ch One of the most important Australian sea lion 5 5 irs ch 3 3 Pa breeding colonies in the State. ssa GMUZ-6 SPA-3 SPA-7 ge Important site for sea birds. SPA-5 10 GMUZ-7 Penneshaw Cuttlefish Bay GMUZ-5 SZ-10 SZ-11 C oo ro Cape Coutts RAZ-2 11 ng 8 American River SPA-4 RAZ-3 Antechamber Bay Kangaroo Island Dudley Peninsula 9 S S SZ-9 ' ' 0 0 5 5 ° ° 5 5 3 3 Cape Willoughby 7 Sponge Gardens SZ (60km2) D'estrees Bay One of only two known deep sea trenches in SA waters For further map detail refer to the relevant boundary definition map in the draft management plan. and home to huge sponges often more than a metre in diameter. 137°30'E 137°40'E 137°50'E 138°E 138°10'E 138°20'E 138°30'E 138°40'E 138°50'E 139°E 139°10'E Produced by Marine Parks Project Cape GantheaumMearine Park Draft Zoning Special Purpose Area Topographic Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (Harbor Activities) GPO BOX 1047 Adelaide SA 5001 Conservation Park www.marineparks.sa.gov.au & Wilderness Area Restricted Access Zone (Existing) Built Up Area 7 Special Purpose Area Data Source Marine Parks, NPWSA, Topographic Data, Marine Park Boundary Coastline (median high water) - DEWNR Sanctuary Zone (Murray Mouth Dredging) Coastal Waters of the State - Geoscience Australia 0 20 Compiled 5 July 2012 Habitat Protection Zone Special Purpose Area Existing Reserves under other Acts Projection Lambert Conformal Conic (Submarine Cables and Pipelines) Datum Geocentric Datum of Australia, 1994 Adelaide General Managed Use Zone Coastal Waters of the State Kms © Copyright Department fof Environment, Water and Natural Resources 2012.