| Coobowie Aquatic Reserve South Australia | |
|---|---|
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources) | |
  Coobowie Aquatic Reserve | |
| Nearest town or city | Coobowie. |
| Coordinates | 35°02′55″S137°44′03″E / 35.0485°S 137.7341°E Coordinates: 35°02′55″S137°44′03″E / 35.0485°S 137.7341°E |
| Area | 2.78 km2 (1.1 sq mi) [1] |
| Managing authorities | Primary Industries and Resources South Australia (PIRSA) |
| Footnotes | Coordinates [2] Nearest town [3] |
| See also | Protected areas of South Australia |
Coobowie Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the waters of Gulf St Vincent adjoining the east coast of Yorke Peninsula. It is located partly within the locality of Coobowie and partly within a bay called Salt Creek Bay within the gulf. [4] [3]
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 conservation purpose, typically to protect natural or cultural resources. Such marine resources are protected by local, state, territorial, native, regional, national, or international authorities and differ substantially among and between nations. This variation includes different limitations on development, fishing practices, fishing seasons and catch limits, moorings and bans on removing or disrupting marine life. In some situations, MPAs also provide revenue for countries, potentially equal to the income that they would have if they were to grant companies permissions to fish.
South Australia 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 983,482 square kilometres (379,725 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, and fifth largest by population. It has a total of 1.7 million people, and its population is the second most highly centralised in Australia, after Western Australia, with more than 77 percent of South Australians living in the capital, Adelaide, or its environs. Other population centres in the state are relatively small; Mount Gambier, the second largest centre, has a population of 28,684.
Gulf St Vincent is a large inlet of water on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia. It is bordered by Yorke Peninsula on its west, the mainland and Fleurieu Peninsula to its east, with its entrance being a line from Troubridge Point on Yorke Peninsula to Cape Jervis on Fleurieu Peninsula.
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It was declared for the ‘protection of important fish nursery habitats.’ The aquatic reserve consists of two areas: Area 1 which is the area of Salt Creek Bay north of a line from Giles Points to a causeway on the west side of the Bay and Area 2 - a small estuary known as Salt Swamp Creek located to the west side of both Salt Creek Bay and the causeway. In Area 1, the following activities are permitted - fishing from boat or shore using rod and line or handline, collecting bait from the beach, boating, diving and swimming. In Area 2, the following activities are prohibited - fishing or the collection or removal of any marine organisms. [3]
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping. “Fishing” may include catching aquatic animals other than fish, such as molluscs, cephalopods, crustaceans, and echinoderms. The term is not normally applied to catching farmed fish, or to aquatic mammals, such as whales where the term whaling is more appropriate. In addition to being caught to be eaten, fish are caught as recreational pastimes. Fishing tournaments are held, and caught fish are sometimes kept as preserved or living trophies. When bioblitzes occur, fish are typically caught, identified, and then released.
Since 2012, it has been located within the boundaries of the Lower Yorke Peninsula Marine Park with ‘Area 1’ being within a “general managed use zone” and ‘Area 2’ being within a “sanctuary zone.” [4]
The aquatic reserve is classified as an IUCN Category VI protected area. [2]
The International Union for Conservation of Nature is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, and education. IUCN's mission is to "influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable".
