Jurien Bay Marine Park

The Jurien Bay Marine Park is a protected marine park that is located 200to north of Perth, off the coastal tip of the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The 82375ha marine park was formally declared on and is situated along the Indian Ocean Drive that extends south from Green Head to the southern boundary of Nambung National Park. It includes many of the islands located in this region.FeaturesThe park name is from the French naval administration Charles-Marie Jurien de la Gravière. The park's management plans were considered for some years before declaration.Approximately 12 per cent of West Australian waters are currently included in marine parks and reserves, and about 2.4 per cent of state waters are in sanctuary (‘no take’) zones. A small part of the Jurien Bay Marine Park has been allocated as a sanctuary and is subject to fisheries regulations.Western Australia’s marine areas are among the least disturbed in the world rich in biodiversity as the coast has two overlapping biogeographic regions, the tropical north (north of Ningaloo Marine Park) and the temperate south (east of Cape Leeuwin) so both tropical and temperate species occur here. Along the eastern boundary of the Indian Ocean the Leeuwin Current carries warm water along this coast from the equator to the southern coast.