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The following petitioners draw the attention of the Legislative Assembly to the urgent need to create a protected marine sanctuary at Terrigal Haven and the surrounding waters on the Central Coast of New South Wales, to safeguard its unique marine ecosystem and vulnerable marine species before further irreversible harm occurs.
Terrigal Haven is an environmentally significant marine area that provides important habitat for a diverse range of marine life, including the critically endangered Grey Nurse Shark. Listed as critically endangered in New South Wales under the Fisheries Management Act 1994 and nationally under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Grey Nurse Sharks have experienced severe population decline due to historical overfishing, spearfishing, and ongoing human impacts. The most recent population study by CSIRO and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (2025) estimates that only approximately 1,420 adult Grey Nurse Sharks remain on Australia's east coast, leaving the species highly vulnerable to continued human-caused injury and mortality.
Grey Nurse Sharks reproduce exceptionally slowly, with mature females producing a maximum of two pups every two years after a gestation period of nine to twelve months. This extremely low reproductive rate means even small levels of injury or death can have devastating long-term consequences for population recovery.
Human fishing activity remains one of the greatest ongoing threats to Grey Nurse Sharks. The species is highly vulnerable to accidental hooking, entanglement, and ingestion of fishing gear, with retained hooks causing infections, internal injuries, starvation, and reduced reproductive success. Increasing recreational fishing pressure, boating activity, and human disturbance continue to place vulnerable marine species at unnecessary risk.
Terrigal Haven supports a rich diversity of marine life, including Grey Nurse Sharks, protected Blue Groper, occasional marine turtles, including Green Turtles, dolphins, migrating whales, seadragons, and other ecologically significant species that contribute to the biodiversity and natural heritage of the Central Coast. Without stronger protections, these species and the fragile marine ecosystem they depend on remain exposed to ongoing degradation and avoidable harm.
The petitioners are concerned that existing protections around Terrigal Haven are inadequate to ensure the long-term survival and recovery of threatened marine species and the preservation of critical marine habitat. Greater sanctuary protections would help reduce harmful fishing interactions, protect biodiversity, support NSW and Commonwealth threatened species recovery objectives, and create a safe refuge for vulnerable marine life on the Central Coast.
Creating a marine sanctuary at Terrigal Haven would also provide significant long-term benefits to the local community and economy through eco-tourism. Protected marine areas attract divers, snorkellers, underwater photographers, and nature-based tourism operators seeking the opportunity to experience healthy marine ecosystems and observe iconic marine species in their natural environment. A thriving marine sanctuary would help position Terrigal as a destination for sustainable tourism while protecting an irreplaceable part of the Central Coast's natural heritage for future generations.
The petitioners therefore ask the Legislative Assembly to urgently establish a protected marine sanctuary zone at Terrigal Haven and surrounding waters, including enforceable restrictions on harmful fishing practices and activities that threaten Grey Nurse Sharks and other vulnerable marine species, to prevent further avoidable harm and ensure the long-term protection and recovery of this important marine ecosystem.
