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Great Australian Bight Marine Park Whale Sanctuary was a
marine protected area
Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conserv ...
in the Australian state of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
located immediately off the coastline of the
Great Australian Bight
The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia.
Extent
Two definitions of the extent are in use – one used by the International Hydrog ...
in waters about west-northwest of the state capital of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
.
It extended from 130 degrees 45.5 minutes east at its western boundary to 131 degrees 30 minutes east at its eastern boundary, and from the coastline for a distance of .
[ It was bounded by the ]Great Australian Bight Marine National Park
Great Australian Bight Marine National Park is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located west of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide.
It consists of two sections occupying the ocean immediatel ...
to its immediate west and east and its extent included the bay known as the Head of Bight. It was also part of the group of marine protected areas which are located together in waters within Australian and South Australian jurisdictions within the Great Australian Bight
The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia.
Extent
Two definitions of the extent are in use – one used by the International Hydrog ...
and which is collectively known as the Great Australian Bight Marine Park
Great Australian Bight Marine Park is the name given to a group of marine protected areas which are located together within both Australian and South Australian jurisdictions in the Great Australian Bight and which has been in use as recently as ...
. Since late 2012, both the whale sanctuary and the national park have also been within the boundaries of the Far West Coast Marine Park
Far West Coast Marine Park is a marine park in South Australia. The park is within state waters, about from the state capital of Adelaide.
The land around Far West Coast Marine Park is very much flat, bordered by the Nullarbor Plain to the north ...
.
The whale sanctuary was originally proclaimed as a marine park under the ''Fisheries Act 1982 (SA)'' by the South Australian Government
The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...
on 22 June 1995 to protect waters used by Southern right whale
The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20 ...
s for breeding and calving. It was re-classified as an aquatic reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...
after the repeal of the ''Fisheries Act 1982'' by the ''Fisheries Management Act 2007 (SA)'' in 2007. It was abolished on 20 October 2016.
The whale sanctuary was classified as an IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
Category Ia protected area.[
]
See also
* Great Australian Bight Marine Park (2017)
Great Australian Bight Marine Park (formerly Great Australian Bight Commonwealth Marine Reserve) is a marine protected area located in the Great Australian Bight south of South Australia in waters within the Australian Exclusive economic zone ...
* Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth waters)
Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters) is a former marine protected area located in the Great Australian Bight immediately south of South Australia and its immediate onshore waters. On 8 November 2012, it was replaced by a ne ...
* Whale watching in Australia
Whale watching in Australia is a popular recreational pursuit and a tourist activity along various coasts. In 2008, whale and dolphin watching was worth an estimated 31 million in direct expenditure to the Australian economy with an estimat ...
References
{{Marine protected areas of South Australia, state=collapsed
Aquatic reserves of South Australia
Protected areas established in 1995
Protected areas disestablished in 2016
1995 establishments in Australia
2016 disestablishments in Australia
Former protected areas of South Australia
Great Australian Bight
Whale sanctuaries