Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L00321:front:0:p85
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L00321
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 246154–249299

properties of regional significance); and the Tasman Front and eddy field (valued for high productivity, aggregations of marine life, biodiversity and endemism).
The Marine Park includes habitats connecting to and complementing the adjacent New South Wales Port Stephens–Great Lakes Marine Park.
Natural values
The Marine Park includes examples of ecosystems representative of:
  * Central Eastern Province—includes canyons along the shelf that interact with currents and ocean gyres resulting in upwellings that influence biological productivity. Plankton blooms associated with the upwellings attract aggregations of tuna, whale and albatross and support over 50 fish species endemic to the area.
  * Central Eastern Shelf Province—upwellings caused by the East Australian Current crossing the continental shelf, and river sediment influence biological productivity in this provincial bioregion that extends south over the continental shelf from the boundary of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to offshore Coffs Harbour.
Key ecological features of the Marine Park are:
  * Canyons on the eastern continental slope—canyons enhance diversity and abundance of species, driven by the combined effects of steep and rugged topography, ocean currents, seafloor types and nutrient availability. Canyons also create localised changes in productivity in the water column above them, providing feeding opportunities for a range of species.
  * Shelf rocky reefs—have a diverse range of complex benthic habitats that support diverse benthic communities.
  * Tasman Front and eddy field—a region that separates the warm, nutrient-poor waters of the Coral Sea from the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Tasman Sea, providing increased nutrients and plankton aggregations, and enhanced productivity that attracts mobile species such as turtles, cetaceans, tuna and billfish.
The Marine Park supports a range of species, including species listed as threatened, migratory, marine or cetacean under the EPBC Act. Biologically important areas within the Marine Park include foraging habitat for seabirds, a migratory pathway and foraging habitat for humpback whales; and aggregation areas for grey nurse sharks.
Cultural values
Sea country is valued for Indigenous cultural identity, health and wellbeing. Across Australia, Indigenous people have been sustainably managing their sea country for tens of thousands of years. At the commencement of this plan, there is limited information about the cultural significance of this Marine Park.
The Native Title Services Corporation is the Native Title Service Provider for the New South Wales region.
Heritage values
No international, Commonwealth or national heritage listings apply to the Marine Park at commencement of this plan.
Historic shipwrecks
The Marine Park contains one known shipwreck listed under the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976—India (wrecked in 1884).
Social and economic values
Commercial fishing, tourism and recreation, including fishing, are important activities in the Marine Park. These activities contribute to the wellbeing of regional communities and the prosperity of the nation.

Figure