Skip to main content

Menu AMPS

  • Science Atlas
  • Marine parks
    • Coral Sea
      • Coral Sea
    • North
      • Arafura
      • Arnhem
      • Gulf of Carpentaria
      • Joseph Bonaparte Gulf
      • Limmen
      • Oceanic Shoals
      • Wessel
      • West Cape York
    • North-west
      • Argo-Rowley Terrace
      • Ashmore Reef
      • Carnarvon Canyon
      • Cartier Island
      • Dampier
      • Eighty Mile Beach
      • Gascoyne
      • Kimberley
      • Mermaid Reef
      • Montebello
      • Ningaloo
      • Roebuck
      • Shark Bay
    • South-east
      • Apollo
      • Beagle
      • Boags
      • East Gippsland
      • Flinders
      • Franklin
      • Freycinet
      • Huon
      • Macquarie Island
      • Murray
      • Nelson
      • South Tasman Rise
      • Tasman Fracture
      • Zeehan
    • South-west
      • Abrolhos
      • Bremer
      • Eastern Recherche
      • Geographe
      • Great Australian Bight
      • Jurien
      • Murat
      • Perth Canyon
      • South-west Corner
      • Southern Kangaroo Island
      • Twilight
      • Two Rocks
      • Western Eyre
      • Western Kangaroo Island
    • Temperate East
      • Central Eastern
      • Cod Grounds
      • Gifford
      • Hunter
      • Jervis
      • Lord Howe
      • Norfolk
      • Solitary Islands
    • Indian Ocean Territories
      • Christmas Island
      • Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  • Learn
    • Marine park science
    • Recent research
    • Natural values
    • Key maps
    • Latest maps
  • Videos
  • Images
  • Science Atlas
  • Marine parks
    • Coral Sea
      • Coral Sea
    • North
      • Arafura
      • Arnhem
      • Gulf of Carpentaria
      • Joseph Bonaparte Gulf
      • Limmen
      • Oceanic Shoals
      • Wessel
      • West Cape York
    • North-west
      • Argo-Rowley Terrace
      • Ashmore Reef
      • Carnarvon Canyon
      • Cartier Island
      • Dampier
      • Eighty Mile Beach
      • Gascoyne
      • Kimberley
      • Mermaid Reef
      • Montebello
      • Ningaloo
      • Roebuck
      • Shark Bay
    • South-east
      • Apollo
      • Beagle
      • Boags
      • East Gippsland
      • Flinders
      • Franklin
      • Freycinet
      • Huon
      • Macquarie Island
      • Murray
      • Nelson
      • South Tasman Rise
      • Tasman Fracture
      • Zeehan
    • South-west
      • Abrolhos
      • Bremer
      • Eastern Recherche
      • Geographe
      • Great Australian Bight
      • Jurien
      • Murat
      • Perth Canyon
      • South-west Corner
      • Southern Kangaroo Island
      • Twilight
      • Two Rocks
      • Western Eyre
      • Western Kangaroo Island
    • Temperate East
      • Central Eastern
      • Cod Grounds
      • Gifford
      • Hunter
      • Jervis
      • Lord Howe
      • Norfolk
      • Solitary Islands
    • Indian Ocean Territories
      • Christmas Island
      • Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  • Learn
    • Marine park science
    • Recent research
    • Natural values
    • Key maps
    • Latest maps
  • Videos
  • Images

Discover

Australian Marine Parks
© all rights reserved

Search form

<
Australia > South-east > Beagle

Beagle Marine Park

  • Research
  • Natural values
  • Maps
  • Latest maps
  • Scientific papers
Network: South-east
Marine park area: 2,928 kilometres2
Depth range: 15 – 100 metres
Average depth: 64 metres
More info about this marine park

Beagle Marine Park lies in the Bass Strait between Victoria's Wilsons Promontory and Tasmania's Flinders Island. It is a shallow-water marine park surrounding a collection of Bass Strait Islands. Habitats within Beagle Marine Park are believed to be representative of the central Bass Strait, which are diverse benthic communities and include reefs supporting encrusting, erect and branching sponges. This marine park provides important foraging grounds for pygmy blue whales and nearby breeding colonies of seabirds, and the rich marine life it contains attracts top predators such as the great white shark and ocras.

Video

This is the first video footage collected from Beagle Marine Park. It contains examples of temperate rocky reef habitat, including extensive sponge gardens and an unusually large congregation of Port Jackson sharks.

Research

These short articles highlight the findings from ongoing scientific research within the Beagle Marine Park, including exciting new discoveries and ideas for future projects.
Pleurosicya mossambica

Cryptic fishes of Australian Marine Parks

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.
AUV coral and sponges

Examining changes through time in the South-east Marine Parks Network using seafloor imagery collected by an autonomous underwater vehicle.

Over the last decade scientists at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) have been using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to conduct photographic surveys of seafloor (benthic) communities in Australian Marine Parks (AMPs) across the South-east Marine Parks Network (the SE Network). This project used this imagery to provide the first description of the biological communities across these marine parks and how they have changed over time.
Green moon wrasse in Emily Bay lagoon

Extraordinary diversity of shallow reef habitats in Australian Marine Parks

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.

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.

Biologically important areas

See where sea lions, sea birds, whales, dolphins and turtles like to breed, forage and nest.

Bioregions

See which areas of Australia's oceans have similar characteristics.
KEF Preview Imange

Key ecological features

See which habitats, features and processes scientists consider particularly important for biodiversity and ecosystem health.
Ramsar Preview Image Ampsatlas

RAMSAR wetlands

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 Beagle Marine Park individually through the links below.
Bathomes Preview Imange

Bathomes

See which areas of Marine Parks are of similar depth.
Bathymetry Preview Imange

Bathymetry (250 metre resolution)

Compare how deep the waters are within and between the Australian Marine Parks.
mean primary productivity hotspots

Chlorophyll-a and ocean productivity

See where Australian's oceans are (and aren't) rich in phytoplankton.
Preview Image Geomorph

Geomorphology

Explore the banks, pinnacles, troughs and other features of the seafloor in Australian Marine Parks.
rates of ocean warming

Sea surface temperature

Check out the typical water temperature in Australian Marine Parks.
Species Richness Preview Image Ampsatlas

Species richness

See where species richness is at its highest and lowest across Australian Marine Parks.
WHA Preview Imange Ampsatlas

World heritage areas

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.

Where have ships mapped the seafloor with sonar?

Find out where the seafloor has been mapped with sonar across the Marine Parks.

Scientific papers

The following publications contain information relevant to the Beagle marine park and adjacent waters. Click on the links to access to the publications.
  • Sherwood, J, Chidgey, S, Crockett, P, Gwyther, D, Ho, P, Stewart, S, Strong, D, Whitely, B and Williams, A. (2016). Installation and operational effects of a HVDC submarine cable in a continental shelf setting: Bass Strait, Australia.
  • Sinclair, E. A, Anthony, J. M, Greer, D, Ruiz-Montoya, L, Evans, S. M, Krauss, S. L and Kendrick, G. A. (2016). Genetic signatures of Bassian glacial refugia and contemporary connectivity in a marine foundation species.
  • Hoskins, A. J and Arnould, J. P. (2014). Relationship between long-term environmental fluctuations and diving effort of female Australian fur seals.
  • Edgar, G. J and Barrett, N. S. (2012). An assessment of population responses of common inshore fishes and invertebrates following declaration of five Australian marine protected areas.
Share Tweet
TOP