__NOTOC__ Seal Bay Aquatic Reserve 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 in waters off the south coast of Kangaroo Island immediately adjoining and including the intertidal zone within the locality of Seal Bay which is also part of the

Seal Bay Conservation Park Seal Bay Conservation Park is a protected area located on the south coast of Kangaroo Island in the Australian state of South Australia. It is the home of the third largest Australian sea lion colony in Australia. It is one of the most pop ...

. It was declared on 30 November 1971 as the Seal Beach Aquatic Reserve for the purpose of ‘the protection of a major breeding colony of the

Australian sea lion The Australian sea lion (''Neophoca cinerea''), also known as the Australian sea-lion or Australian sealion, is a species of sea lion that is the only endemic pinniped in Australia. It is currently monotypic in the genus ''Neophoca'', with the e ...

’. The following activities are prohibited in the aquatic reserve - access to waters adjoining Seal Bay by members of the public,

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

, and the collection or the removal of any marine organism. The aquatic reserve covered the full extent of the coastal frontage of Seal Bay and extended seaward a distance of about covering an area of . Its extent included the waters around

Nobby Islet Nobby Islet (also known as Knobby Island and Nobby Island) is an islet located in the Great Australian Bight off the south coast of Kangaroo Island in the Australian state of South Australia approximately south-west of Kingscote. It is curren ...

. It was bounded by the

Bales Beach Aquatic Reserve __NOTOC__ Bales Beach Aquatic Reserve was a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in waters off the south coast of Kangaroo Island immediately adjoining and including the intertidal zone within the locality of ...

to its immediate east. On 20 October 2016, it was abolished. Since 2012, it was located within the boundaries of a “restricted access zone” within the

Southern Kangaroo Island Marine Park __NOTOC__ Southern Kangaroo Island Marine Park (formerly Southern Kangaroo Island Commonwealth Marine Reserve) is a marine protected area located south of South Australia in waters within the Australian Exclusive economic zone to the south of ...

. In 2014, the aquatic reserve 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.

References

External links

Entry for Seal Bay Aquatic Reserve on the Protected Planet website
{{Marine protected areas of South Australia, state=collapsed Aquatic reserves of South Australia Protected areas established in 1971 1971 establishments in Australia Protected areas disestablished in 2016 2016 disestablishments in Australia Protected areas of Kangaroo Island

See also

References

External links