Kimberley Marine Park is located about 100 kilometres north of Broome, and includes continental shelf, slope and deep water habitats. Kimberley Marine Park includes a variety of different soft sediment and rocky reef habitats, which attract a diverse mix of marine life. It boasts a diversity of slope demersal fish assemblages that is amongst the highest in the country, and also protects important habitat for marine turtles and humpback whales, as well as breeding and foraging habitat for inshore dolphins which can be found within the shallower regions of the marine park.
Video
The Kimberly Marine Park includes a variety of different habitat types, including soft sediment communities. This video captures one such community, an interesting field of sea anemones 70 metres below the waves.
Research
These short articles highlight the findings from ongoing scientific research within the Kimberley Marine Park, including exciting new discoveries and ideas for future projects.
During a recent voyage in the Kimberley Marine Park we discovered fields of benthic siphonophores on the sea floor – one of the first records of this group in Australia.
Small and/or camouflaged fish species hidden on or near the reef surface are commonly referred to as ‘cryptic’ or ‘cryptobenthic’ fishes. These species are characteristically difficult to see but are diverse and abundant throughout Australian Marine Parks and may play an important role in supporting the larger predatory fish species protected within park boundaries.
Parks Australia manage 60 Australian Marine Parks, many of which include shallow reefs. These reef habitats are hugely diverse, and include tropical reefs dominated by hard corals; current-swept offshore bommies covered in sea whips, sea fans and soft corals; temperate rocky reefs with sea urchin barrens or low lying colourful seaweeds; and deeper rocky reefs with sessile invertebrates and large black coral trees.
A re-survey of sites within the North-west Marine Park Network revealed an increase in fish biomass, richness, biomass of larger fishes, coral cover and macro-invertebrate density at Ashmore Reef Marine Park (IUCN Ia). Many of these changes were not recorded at fished reference sites, suggesting the strict sanctuary zoning is having a positive effect.
Discover what's on the menu for flatback turtles in the Kimberley marine region of NW Australia
Natural values
Our marine parks have a number of different values, including natural, cultural, heritage and socio-economic values. The natural values of our marine parks refer to the habitats, species and ecological communities within them, and the processes that support their connectivity, productivity and function. Below are the key datasets that help inform park managers about the natural values that exist within our network of Australian Marine Parks. For more information on other park values refer to the relevant park Management Plans on the Parks Australia website.
See which wetlands of international significance are protected by Australian Marine Parks.
Maps
The information provided by these datasets was integral in the planning and development of our national network of marine parks. Learn in detail about how scientists and marine park planners used these important marine features together to design Australia's network of marine parks, or explore the datasets for the Kimberley Marine Park individually through the links below.
See which areas of Australia's marine environments have been World Heritage listed.
Latest maps
Since the initial planning of the Australian Marine Parks Network in 2012, new mapping data has emerged that allows us to see in finer detail the features that exist within our parks. These datasets help marine managers to understand more about what's under the surface, where there are overlaying management or protection regimes, and/or where pressures on the marine environment may be increasing.
Examine how exposure to tropical cyclone activity varies across Australian Marine Parks.
Scientific papers
The following publications contain information relevant to the Kimberley marine park and adjacent waters. Click on the links to access to the publications.
Jackson, M. V, Kennett, R, Bayliss, P, Warren, R, Waina, N, Adams, J, Cheinmora, L, Vigilante, T, Jungine, E, Woolagoodja, K, Woolagoodja, F , Umbagai, J, Holmes, J and Weisenberger, F. (2015).
Developing collaborative marine turtle monitoring in the Kimberley region of northern Australia.
O'Loughlin, P. M and Bribiesca-Contreras, G. (2015).
New asterinid seastars from northwest Australia, with a revised key to Aquilonastra species (Echinodermata: Asteroidea).
Sampey, A and Marsh, L. M. (2015).
Kimberley marine biota. Historical data: echinoderms.
Bryce, M and Sampey, A. (2014).
Kimberley marine biota. Historical data: soft corals and sea fans (Octocorallia).
Clarke, R. H. and Herrod, A. (2014).
Seabirds and Shorebirds at Ashmore Reef, Cartier Island and Browse Island: Monitoring program for the Montara Well release - Ninth Post-impact Field Survey.
Clarke, R. H and Herrod, A. (2013).
Seabirds and Shorebirds at Ashmore Reef, Cartier Island and Browse Island: Monitoring program for the Montara Well release - Eighth Post-impact Field Survey.
Clarke, R. H. and Herrod, A. (2013).
Seabirds and Shorebirds at Ashmore Reef, Cartier Island and Browse Island: Monitoring program for the Montara Well release - Seventh Post-impact Field Survey.
PTTEP (2013).
Montara Environmental Monitoring Program: Report of Research.
Richards, Z. T, Bryce, M and Bryce, C. (2013).
New records of atypical coral reef habitat in the Kimberley, Australia.
Clarke, R. H. and Herrod, A. (2012).
Seabirds and Shorebirds at Ashmore Reef, Cartier Island and Browse Island: Monitoring program for the Montara Well release - Sixth Post-impact Field Survey.
McCauley, R. (2012).
Fish choruses from the Kimberley, seasonal and lunar links as determined by long term sea noise monitoring.
Tillett, B. J., Meekan, M. G., Broderick, D., Field, I. C., Cliff, G. and Ovenden, J. R. (2012).
Pleistocene isolation, secondary introgression and restricted contemporary gene flow in the pig-eye shark, Carcharhinus amboinensis across northern Australia.
Breen, P.A (2011).
Review of seven 1998--2009 surveys of trochus and holothurians at Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island.
Collins, L. B. (2011).
Geological setting, marine geomorphology, sediments and oceanic shoals growth history of the Kimberley region.
Molony, B. W, Newman, S. J, Joll, L, Lenanton, R. C. J and Wise, B. (2011).
Are Western Australian waters the least productive waters for finfish across two oceans? A review with a focus on finfish resources in the Kimberley region and North Coast Bioregion.
Przeslawski, R and McArthur, M. A. (2009).
Novel method to concurrently sample the planktobenthos and benthos.
Wilson, B. (2009).
National Heritage Values of the Kimberley Nearshore Marine Environment: Camden Sound and Montgomery Reef.
Allen, G. R. (1996).
New records of reef and shore fishes from north-western Australia.
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