Batemans Marine Park
- Amnesty on recreational fishing restrictions from ocean beaches and headlands in sanctuaries
- Map - outlining the extent of the Amnesty
460 Kb
Zoning plan
- Batemans Marine Park zoning map - 500 Kb
- Batemans Marine Park zoning plan user guide - 2.1 Mb
Note: Percentages for zones may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
Batemans Marine Park
- Batemans Shelf and Twofold Shelf Bioregional Assessment - 8.1 Mb
- Economic Report - 690 Kb
- Socio-Economic Report - 665 kb
Location and size
Batemans Marine Park covers approximately 85,000 hectares, extending from the north end of Murramarang Beach near Bawley Point to Wallaga Lake in the South. It includes all of the seabed and waters from the mean high water mark on the coast to three nautical miles offshore. It includes all estuaries, creeks, rivers and lakes (except Nargal Lake) to the limit of tidal influence.
Date established
The NSW government established the park in April 2006. The zoning plan commenced in June 2007. The park was named after Batemans Bay, which was sighted by Captain Cook from the Endeavour on April 22, 1770. He named the bay in honour of Nathaniel Bateman, his former superior officer.
Special features
The park covers a diverse range of habitats, including continental shelf sea floor along with sponge gardens, beaches, rocky shores, kelp beds, coralline algal banks, rocky reefs, islands, seagrass, mangroves and estuarine habitats.
Marine life includes many species of dolphins, turtles, fish, invertebrates, seabirds and seaweeds along with several protected and / or threatened species and such as the weedy sea dragon, eastern blue devil fish, elegant wrasse and the grey nurse shark. A variety of whales can be observed through the months of September to November including Humpback Whales, Southern Right Whales, Pilot Whales and Killer Whales
Montague Island Nature reserve lies within the park. The island is culturally significant to
Aboriginal people. It is a breeding place for over 40,000 sea birds including 3 species of Shearwaters (Mutton Birds), Little Penguins (Australia’s only native penguin – between 8000 -12000 nest at Montague Island),Crested Terns and Silver Gulls and is a haul out site for Australian and New Zealand Fur Seals. Both Montague Island in the south and the Tollgate Islands in the north of the park are aggregation sites for Grey Nurse Sharks.
Local Aboriginal communities have strong links to the area within and adjoining the marine park. The local Aboriginal communities within the Yuin Nation are actively involved in consultation on park issues affecting traditional use.
Recreational and commercial use
Visitors and the local community enjoy a broad range of activities within this multiple use park. Popular activities include fishing, swimming, surfing, boating and diving.
Some forms of commercial fishing are limited to protect biodiversity including habitats. Trawling, long lining and dredging are prohibited from the entire park.