Background
Marmion Marine Park covers 9500 hectares between Trigg Island and Burns Rocks and protects a chain of inshore limestone reefs and islands that are home to colourful invertebrates and fish, with the warm Leeuwin Current allowing many tropical species to thrive in its waters. Endangered Australian sea lions live in the park year round, and humpback and southern right whales visit in winter and spring.
Marmion Marine Park was gazetted in 1987 as Western Australia’s first marine park. In 2012, the then Marine Parks and Reserves Authority (now Conservation and Parks Commission) recommended a review of the outdated Marmion Marine Park Management Plan (1992-2002). In 2016, the Office of the Auditor General published the Management of Marine Parks and Reserves report, which also recommended a management plan review, to allow for the changing pressures and uses and increased visitation to the area.
In 2019, 143 hectares was excised from Marmion Marine Park to develop Ocean Reef Marina enacted through the Reserves (Marmion Marine Park) Act 2019. This triggered a review of the management plan to reflect both the excision and proposed expansion of the marine park under the State Government’s Plan for Our Parks.
A new management plan will put in place a contemporary management framework to conserve the ecological, social and cultural values of the area, while allowing for sustainable use and planning for the predicted increased use of the area.
The marine park is proposed to be jointly managed with Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation