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| Port Davey/Bathurst Harbour Marine Nature Reserve The marine area of Port Davey/Bathurst Harbour comprising some 17,000ha is already a National Park and is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. However, under these arrangements, marine life is generally not protected, requiring a marine nature reserve to be established.
The Bathurst Harbour area is the largest undisturbed estuarine system in southern Australia. Unique features of the ecosystem are the highly stratified, darkly stained brackish surface waters, the extraordinarily low level of nutrients and the occurrence of relatively deep basins of saline water. In Bathurst Channel the abundance and variety of benthic animals increases westward. Slow-growing sedentary colonial animals such as sponges, lace corals and sea squirts usually restricted to deeper water are able to grow in shallow waters. Many of these are filter feeders and large numbers of them grow attached to the Channel walls and floor.
Fish species include gummy shark, elephant fish, white-spotted dogfish, red gurnard and red cod. A new species of skate has been found here whose closest relatives are found in New Zealand and South America.
Port Davey itself can be divided into two distinct habitat zones. The tannin-stained waters of the Davey River or Bathurst Channel influence the eastern shore. The western shore has a wide range of habitats representative of the more exposed Davey bioregion and some sheltered habitats. The area from Whalers Point to Point St Vincent includes a higher diversity of seaweeds including giant kelp and bull kelp.
Fish associated with reefs include purple, blue-throated and rosy wrasses, magpie perch, senator fish, toothbrush leatherjacket, rock lobster and abalone. Fish associated with seagrass beds include bridled leatherjacket, spotted pipefish, crested weedfish, soldier fish and half-banded pipefish.
Map of the Port Davey/Bathurst Harbour Marine Nature Reserve.
Fishing restrictions.
Visitor information is available on the Parks & Wildlife Service website: www.parks.tas.gov.au/marine/port_davey/index.html .
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