Macquarie Island Marine Park is located in the Southern Ocean, about 1500 kilometres south-east of Tasmania and adjacent to the Macquarie Island Nature Reserve. The marine park is significant for its unique geological and biological characteristics. The islands orientation and the submerged Macquarie Ridge act as a major barrier to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, one of the largest and most important oceanic currents on Earth. The Macquarie Island Marine Park also includes critical foraging grounds many seabirds, including the black-browed, campbells and antipodean albatross'. A number of marine mammals, such as seals, penguins and whales also use this region for foraging, breeding and migration and the area holds international significance for its aggregations of these species.
Research
These short articles highlight the findings from ongoing scientific research within the Macquarie Island Marine Park, including exciting new discoveries and ideas for future projects.
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.
Macquarie Island Marine Park features both sanctuary and habitat protection zones offering the highest levels of protection to this unique sub-polar park.
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 Macquarie Island 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.
Find out where the seafloor has been mapped with sonar across the Marine Parks.
Scientific papers
The following publications contain information relevant to the Macquarie Island marine park and adjacent waters. Click on the links to access to the publications.
Day, J, Haddon, M and Hillary, R. (2016).
Stock Assessment of the Macquarie Island fishery for Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) using data up to and including August 2015.
Toomey, L, Welsford, D, Appleyard, S. A, Polanowski, A, Faux, C, Deagle, B. E, Belchier, M, Marthick, J and Jarman, S. (2016).
Genetic structure of Patagonian toothfish populations from otolith DNA.
Wang, Z, Siems, S. T, Belusic, D, Manton, M. J and Huang, Y. (2015).
A climatology of the precipitation over the Southern Ocean as observed at Macquarie Island.
Banks, J, Lea, M. A, Wall, S, McMahon, C. R and Hindell, M. A. (2014).
Combining bio-logging and fatty acid signature analysis indicates spatio-temporal variation in the diet of the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina.
Faux, C. E, McInnes, J. C and Jarman, S. N. (2014).
High-throughput real-time PCR and melt curve analysis for sexing Southern Ocean seabirds using fecal samples.
McMahon, C. R, Howe, H, van den Hoff, J , Alderman, R , Brolsma, H and Hindell, M.A. (2014).
Satellites, the all-seeing eyes in the sky: counting elephant seals from space.
New, L.F , Clark, J.S, Costa, D.P, Fleishman, E, Hindell, M.A, Klanjs?ek, T, Lusseau, D, Kraus, S, McMahon, C.R, Robinson, P.W and Schick, R.S. (2014).
Using short-term measures of behaviour to estimate long-term fitness of southern elephant seals..
Bindeman, I. N, Kamenetsky, V. S, Palandri, J and Vennemann, T. (2012).
Hydrogen and oxygen isotope behaviors during variable degrees of upper mantle melting: Example from the basaltic glasses from Macquarie Island.
Conway, C. E, Bostock, H. C, Baker, J. A, Wysoczanski, R. J and Verdier, A. L. (2012).
Evolution of Macquarie Ridge Complex seamounts: implications for volcanic and tectonic processes at the Australia-Pacific plate boundary south of New Zealand.
Jovanovic, B, Braganza, K, Collins, D and Jones, D. (2012).
Climate variations and change evident in high-quality climate data for Australia's Antarctic and remote island weather stations.
Kamenetsky, V. S and Eggins, S. M. (2012).
Systematics of metals, metalloids, and volatiles in MORB melts: effects of partial melting, crystal fractionation and degassing (a case study of Macquarie Island glasses).
Kendrick, M. A, Kamenetsky, V. S, Phillips, D and Honda, M. (2012).
Halogen systematics (Cl, Br, I) in mid-ocean ridge basalts: a Macquarie Island case study.
Wayte, S and Fay, G. (2012).
Stock assessment of the Macquarie Island fishery for Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) using data up to and including August 2011.
Wayte, S and Fay, G. (2012).
Stock assessment of the Macquarie Island fishery for Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) using data up to and including August 2012.
Fay, G, Tuck, G. N and Haddon, M. (2011).
Stock Assessment of the Macquarie Island fishery for Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) using data up to and including June 2010.
Field, I. C, Cherel, Y, Guinet, C, Bradshaw, C. J, McMahon, C. R and Hindell, M. A. (2011).
Diet of juvenile southern elephant seals reappraised by stable isotopes in whiskers.
Kelly, M and Vacelet, J. (2011).
Three new remarkable carnivorous sponges (Porifera, Cladorhizidae) from deep New Zealand and Australian (Macquarie Island) waters.
Thums, M, Bradshaw, C. J and Hindelli, M. A. (2011).
In situ measures of foraging success and prey encounter reveal marine habitat-dependent search strategies.
Zhou, S and Fuller, M. (2011).
Sustainability assessment for fishing effect on fish bycatch species in the Macquarie Island Toothfish Longline Fishery: 2007.
Ziegler, P. E, Welsford, D. C and Constable, A. J. (2011).
Length-based assessments revisited-why stock status and fishing mortaliIty of long-lived specIes such as toothfIsh cannot be inferred from length-frequency data alone.
Goldsworthy, S. D, McKenzie, J, Page, B, Lancaster, M and Bool, N. (2008).
Population status and trends in the abundance of the fur seals at Macquarie Island.
Trebilco, R, Gales, R, Baker, G. B, Terauds, A and Sumner, M. D (2008).
At sea movement of Macquarie Island giant petrels: relationships with marine protected areas and regional fisheries management organisations.
Waugh, S. M, Baker, G. B, Gales, R and Croxall, J. P. (2008).
CCAMLR process of risk assessment to minimise the effects of longline fishing mortality on seabirds.
Research, Australian National Committee on Antarctic (2006).
Australian Antarctic Territory, Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, and observations on Macquarie Island Tasmania.
Wertz, K. L. (2003).
From seafloor spreading to uplift: the structural and geochemical evolution of Macquarie Island on the Australian-Pacific plate boundary.
Appleyard, S. A, Ward, R. D and Williams, R. (2002).
Population structure of the Patagonian toothfish around Heard, McDonald and Macquarie Islands.
O'Hara, T.D, Poore, G.C.B, Ahyong, S and Staples, D.A. (2002).
Rapid assembly of Invertebrate data for the SE Regional Marine Plan..
Wienecke, B and Robertson, G. (2002).
Seabird and seal--fisheries interactions in the Australian Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides trawl fishery.
Environment, Australia (2001).
Macquarie Island Marine Park Management Plan 2001-2008.
Goscombe, B. D and Everard, J. L. (2001).
Tectonic evolution of Macquarie Island: Extensional structures and block rotations in oceanic crust.
He, X and Furlani, D. M. (2001).
Ecologically sustainable development of the fishery for Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) around Macquarie Island: Population parameters, population assessment and ecological interactions.
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