Department of Environment and Conservation

Nearest town:
Entry fee: AUD $ 0.00
Introduction:

The Barrow Island Marine Management Area is offshore and relatively remote. It covers 114,500 hectares and includes most of the waters around Barrow Island and the waters around the Lowendal Islands.

Like the nearby Barrow Island Marine Park and Montebello Islands Marine Park, the marine management area is a significant breeding and nesting area for marine turtles and its waters support important coral reefs, unique mangrove communities and a diversity of tropical marine animals.

Green, hawksbill and flatback turtles regularly use the sandy beaches of Barrow Island for breeding, and occasional nesting by loggerheads has also been recorded on the island. These four species of turtles are all listed as threatened. As the population numbers of marine turtles are declining worldwide due to direct and indirect human impacts, the significance of Barrow Island will increase in terms of its value to turtle populations.

It is one of Western Australia’s most productive areas for hydrocarbon production (nearby Barrow Island produces 34 per cent of the State’s oil). Recreational and commercial fishing and an expanding nature-based tourism industry are also key activities in the region.

Most of the Barrow Island Marine Management Area is not zoned and is therefore available for a wide range of recreational and commercial uses. There is, however, a conservation area to protect marine invertebrates and seabirds in Bandicoot Bay. Recreational fishing is permitted throughout the marine management area including Bandicoot Bay, but check first with the Department of Fisheries to find out about the latest size and bag limits that apply for various species.

 Montebello/Barrow Islands Management Plan 2007-2017 4.56 Mb

 Montebello Islands and Barrow Island 285.46 Kb

Montebello Islands Western Australia Dugong Reef

 

Region: Pilbara
What to see and do: Snorkelling, diving, viewing marine life, fishing.
Extra facilities:

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