Warm tropical currents meet and mix with cool temperate seas in our New South Wales marine parks, creating a world class marine environment on the doorstep of our most populated state.
Why are our New South Wales marine parks important?
Acting like national parks in the ocean, marine sanctuaries set aside areas for marine life to be protected from extractive activities like fishing and mining while still remaining open for other activities like swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving, tourism activities and recreational boating. Marine sanctuaries are backed by Australia’s marine science community as a tried and tested way to protect biodiversity and restore fish stocks¹. If NSW can increase the amount of coastline and ocean sheltered in marine sanctuaries, we could protect marine life. When we protect marine life, we also protect the industries, communities and cultures that rely on it across the state for generations to come.
New South Wales’ marine parks
Off the coast of New South Wales, warm tropical currents like the East Australian Current meet and mix with cool temperate seas. The mixing creates world class marine environments on the doorstep of our most populated state. A seascape of mountain chains, deep sea canyons, islands and reefs form ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth.
Our New South Wales marine parks are home to a wide variety of species, including the majestic humpback whale, critically endangered grey nurse shark, the threatened black cod, weedy sea-dragon, eastern blue groper, unique subtropical corals and many more.
The NSW marine park estate is built on the back of five major marine parks along the coast and one offshore at Lord Howe Island. Some parts of these marine parks, the fully protected marine sanctuary zones, provide spectacular safe havens for marine life to recover.
In NSW, only 7.4% of the marine environment is protected as marine sanctuary. On average, around 80% of our marine parks are open to recreational fishing as well as many forms of commercial fishing. Only five out of the twelve aquatic reserves contain any marine sanctuaries.
The New South Wales network of marine parks as of January 2025.
References:
- David J. Booth and Giglia A. Beretta, Creating a world class Marine Protected Area system – getting New South Wales back on track. Independent Report published by the Australian Marine Conservation Society.