Central Eastern Commonwealth Marine Reserve
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR MARINE USERS – TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
The Commonwealth marine reserves declared in November 2012 are under transitional
arrangements until management plans come into effect in July 2014. Transitional
arrangements involve NO CHANGES ON THE WATER for marine users. Note, there are no
changes to management arrangements in the marine reserves that existed prior to the
establishment of the new reserves, that is, the same restrictions on activities will continue to
apply even where those reserves have been incorporated into new reserves.
More information is available at www.environment.gov.au/marinereserves
one
Central Eastern Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Area
70 054 km²
Depth range
120–6000 m (approx.)
Major
conservation
values

Biologically important areas for the protected humpback whale,
vulnerable white shark and a number of migratory seabirds

Examples of the ecosystems of the Central Eastern Province,
Central Eastern Shelf Transition, and Tasman Basin Province
provincial bioregions and the Tweed-Moreton meso-scale bioregion

Represents seafloor features including: abyssal-plain/deep ocean
floor, canyon, pinnacle, slope, knoll/abyssalhills/hills/mountains/peak, and seamount/guyot

Includes two key ecological features:
Types of zoning
–
canyons on the eastern continental slope (part of one of three
shelf-incising canyons occurring in the region is represented)
–
Tasmantid seamount chain (known breeding and feeding
areas for a number of open ocean species such as billfish and
marine mammals)

Marine National Park Zone (IUCN Category II)–8110 km²

Habitat Protection Zone (IUCN Category IV)–52 066 km²

Multiple Use Zone (IUCN Category VI)–9878 km²