National Park Zone (II), Huon Marine Park (Commonwealth waters off south-east Tasmania)

The 1,433 km² no-take National Park Zone of Huon Marine Park, which lies south-east of Tasmania and runs from the outer limit of state coastal waters down to abyssal depths beyond 4,000 m. The zone incorporates the former Tasmanian Seamounts Marine Reserve — Australia’s largest known seamount cluster — together with mesophotic and rariphotic reefs and slope sediments, and holds the deep-sea coral communities the plan uses as its cover image. Prescription 4.3.6.3 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (South-east Marine Parks Network Management Plan) Instrument 2025 (F2025L00100, in force 13 February 2025) reads: “Recreational fishing may be carried out in all zones except the Special Purpose Zone (VI), National Park Zone (II) and Sanctuary Zone (Ia).” The plan’s glossary defines recreational fishing as “Taking marine species, including shells, not for commercial purposes and that is not commercial fishing”, which plainly covers spearfishing, and the plan’s Table 4.8 (“Summary of prescriptions for recreational use (including fishing) activities in the South-east Network”) marks “Recreational fishing” with a cross in the National Park Zone (II) column (“Activity is not allowed”). Because section 354(1)(a) of the EPBC Act forbids taking a member of a native species in a Commonwealth reserve except in accordance with a management plan, and section 354A(8) makes accordance with the plan the only exception to the section 354A(1) offence, spearfishing in this zone is a criminal offence punishable by up to 2 years’ imprisonment or 1,000 penalty units. Fishing gear must be kept stowed and secured while transiting the zone (prescription 4.3.6.5). The surrounding 8,558 km² of the park is a Multiple Use Zone (VI) in which recreational fishing is allowed. In practice the no-take zone is far offshore and mostly kilometres deep, so the pin is a legal marker rather than a dive site — do not ‘correct’ it shorewards.