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Wessel Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Overview
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR MARINE USERS
Transitional arrangements for new areas added to the Commonwealth marine reserve estate
From the declaration of Commonwealth marine reserves in November 2012 until management plans come into effect in July 2014, transitional arrangements apply.
- Under the transitional arrangements, there are NO CHANGES ON THE WATER for users of new areas added to the Commonwealth marine reserves estate.
- 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.
| Name | Wessel Commonwealth Marine Reserve |
|---|---|
| Area | 5908 km2 |
| Depth range | 5-60 m (approx.) |
| Types of zoning |
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Major conservation values
- Important resting area for turtles between egg laying (internesting area), for the threatened:
- flatback turtle
- green turtle
- hawksbill turtle
- olive ridley turtle
- Important foraging habitat for breeding aggregations of the
- migratory common noddy
- migratory roseate tern
- listed marine crested tern
- Examples of the ecosystems of the Northern Shelf Province (including the Arafura, Arnhem-Wessel and Carpentaria meso-scale bioregions)
- Includes one key ecological feature:
- Gulf of Carpentaria basin (biodiversity; aggregations of marine life)
Download reserve fact sheet
- Fact sheet - Wessel Commonwealth Marine Reserve (PDF - 73 KB) | (Word - 359 KB)