Frequently asked questions
The Great Sandy Marine Park covers approximately 6,000 square kilometres of tidal lands and waters stretching from Baffle Creek in the north to Double Island Point in the south. It includes Hervey Bay, Great Sandy Strait and Tin Can Inlet and the waters off the world heritage-listed Fraser Island seaward to three nautical miles.
The Great Sandy Marine Park aims to:
- protect and conserve marine species, ecosystems, habitats, populations and genetic biodiversity, including internationally recognised wetlands and threatened species
- provide opportunities and access for ecologically sustainable use of the area including recreational, commercial, research and traditional activities.
The park has five different zones and nine designated areas, classified according to the natural values of each area, with regulations covering recreational and commercial use.
The new Great Sandy Marine Park incorporates the existing Hervey Bay and Woongarra marine parks. The marine park provides greater protection for the entire region, while maintaining special management for turtles and whales in the areas covered by the previous marine parks.
Marine park zones
How is the marine park managed?
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service manages the marine park. Management activities include conducting public education and interpretation, monitoring critical flora and fauna, encouraging and supporting scientific research, permitting activities occurring in the marine park and undertaking compliance and enforcement activities.
What can I do in a marine national park zone (green zone)?
Marine national park zones, commonly referred to as green zones, are ‘look but no take’ areas. They provide for protection of the natural integrity and values of the marine environment. Marine plants, animals or products cannot be removed from these zones. Low impact activities such as swimming, snorkelling, diving and boating are allowed.
Travelling through a marine national park zone with fish on board is permitted provided the fish were caught outside this zone. All fishing gear must be stowed and secured when travelling through a marine national park zone. All hand-held rods must be stowed onboard the boat or secured in rod holders. While a hook can still be attached to a line it should be secured to the hand-line or rod.
Will I be fined for fishing in a marine national park zone (green zone)?
Rangers may issue you with an on-the-spot fine or collect your details for later consideration. The fine is described below, although a greater penalty is possible through court proceedings.
- $500 fine for fishing, crabbing or collecting in a green zone.
How can I find out about marine park zone boundaries?
Pick up a copy of the Great Sandy Marine Park boaties quick guide at your local tackle shop. Aerial photograph insets with GPS points have been provided for easy reference to green zones and go slow designated areas.
Great Sandy Marine Park sector signs have been installed at all major boat ramps. Take time to read these signs before you enter the marine park zone; it may save you a fine.
Green zones and go slow areas have been signed in high use areas and estuaries. Look out for:
- marine national park zone (green zone) buoys, signs and totems
- go slow area marker piers, buoys and signs.
Is spearfishing allowed in the marine park?
Limited spearfishing (by snorkel only) is permitted in all zones except buffer zones (light brown) and marine national park zones (green zones). Remember you must comply with the regulations or conditions placed upon spearfishing by the Fisheries Act and Regulation.
Is line fishing or spearfishing allowed off the shore at Hoffmans Rocks and Burkitts Reef?
Spearfishing or line fishing is allowed in the area from Highest Astronomical Tide (HAT) out to 100 m. The marine national park zones at Hoffmans Rocks and Burkitts Reef start 100 m from HAT and extend to the east.
HAT is the highest level of tide which can be predicted to occur under average weather and tidal conditions.
What is the difference between recreational fishing in a conservation park zone within the Great Sandy Designated Area (yellow zone with red horizontal lines) compared to a conservation park zone outside the designated area (yellow zone)?
Conservation park zones, or yellow zones, encompass significant marine environmental values in the marine park. In yellow zones, recreational fishing is allowed with one line/rod per person and one hook.
The Great Sandy Designated Area which overlays the conservation park zone in many parts of the marine park, recognises the importance of existing lawful fisheries and consequently allows recreational fishing with 3 lines/rods per person and a combination of up to 6 hooks.
For more detailed information see the Great Sandy Marine Park visitor guide and the boaties quick guide. The designated areas are identified in the map legends and are shown as red lines over the yellow zone.
What is the definition of a hook?
A hook includes:
- a single-shanked double or treble hook
- an artificial lure with not more than 3 hooks
- an artificial fly
- a jig for taking squid
- a ganged hook set of not more than 6 hooks
- a bait jig that is a hook or group of hooks, of not more than 6 hooks, of a size between number 1 and 12 inclusively or an equivalent size.
Designated areas
What is the purpose of a go slow area?
Go slow areas protect turtles and dugong from injury, disturbance or death caused by boats. In these areas, boats must not operate on the plane or in a manner that could reasonably be expected to result in the striking of a turtle or dugong. Official marked navigational channels and transit lanes at Poona and Kauri Creeks are excluded from the go slow areas.
How will I know when my vessel is 'on the plane'?
A vessel is ‘on the plane’ when it is at a speed that allows the hull to travel over the top of the water rather than pushing through it. The speed at which each vessel is ‘on the plane’ varies.
Will I be fined for planing in a go slow designated area?
Rangers may issue you with an on-the-spot fine or collect your details for later consideration. The fine is described below, although a greater penalty is possible through court proceedings.
- $400 fine for operating a vessel on the plane in go slow area.
What is a ‘shorebird roosting and feeding area’?
Shorebird roosting and feeding areas have been designated to protect shorebirds from disturbance by people, vehicles, aircraft and domestic animals. In particular, migratory shorebirds arrive on our shores early in summer and stay to the following autumn to feed and replenish their energy reserves for their return migration to the northern hemisphere. The entire Great Sandy Strait and some key sites in Hervey Bay, including Pelican Banks, are designated shorebird roosting and feeding areas in recognition of their significance for shorebirds.
Can I bring a dog into a shorebird roosting and feeding area?
Dogs are prohibited from entering the area unless they are controlled and/or restrained in a way that prevents the dog from causing excessive disturbance to shorebirds in the area. Penalties include an on-the-spot fine of $200.
What seasonal management provisions are in place in Great Sandy Marine Park?
Marine turtle seasonal management provisions:
Mon Repos area
Foreshore entry and use provisions apply from 15 October to 30 April of the following year.
Turtle protection area
Trawling is prohibited from 1 November to 31 January the following year.
Seasonal go slow areas
These affect the Woongarra Coast (from Elliot Heads to Burnett Heads) and from Rooney Point to Sandy Cape from the 15 October to 30 April and extend 500m from shore.
Humpback whale seasonal management provisions:
Whale management area
Whale watching guidelines apply from 1 July to the 30 November each year.
Collecting
What does ‘limited collecting’ mean?
Limited collecting means collecting by hand or using a hand-held implement that is not motorised, or pneumatically or hydraulically operated. A restrictions list applies—see ‘Specimens to be taken or possessed subject to restrictions list (Schedule 4, Part 2 of the zoning plan (PDF)*). You can take no more than 5 specimens from this restrictions list in any 28 day period.
Limited collecting is allowed in all zones except for buffer zones and green zones. Any collecting that does not fall under this definition requires a permit and can only be conducted in habitat protection zones (dark blue) and general use zones (light blue).
Can I collect coral when I am visiting the Great Sandy Marine Park?
No. The collection of coral for personal use, such as in home aquariums, is prohibited.
Anchoring
How long can I anchor in one place?
Where there are no approved moorings, anchoring limits apply to prevent damage to seagrass, coral, and bottom-dwelling animals, and to manage pollution and vessel numbers.
- You must not anchor for more than 14 consecutive days or more than 30 days in any 60 day period, in the one location without a permit.
Commercial fishing
How are commercial fishers managed within the marine park?
All use of the marine park, whether commercial or recreational, is managed under the ‘entry and use provisions’ of the Great Sandy Marine Park zones and designated areas.
Commercial trawling is only permitted in the general use zones.
Beam trawling is permitted in the Mary River as part of the Great Sandy Designated Area.
Commercial line fishing, crabbing and netting is permitted in general use zones, habitat protection zones, and the Great Sandy Designated Area, which includes the Great Sandy Strait, Elliott and Burrum rivers and Baffle Creek.
Can commercial fishing vessels plane in go slow areas?
No. All marine park users must operate ‘off the plane’ in go slow areas.
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Last updated 2 February 2011