The Tasmanian Seamounts Marine Reserve will set aside an area that is 170 kilometers (105 miles) south of the city of Hobart, the capital of the island state of Tasmania off Australia's south coast.The reserve will encompass a total of 370 square kilometers (143 square miles).
"The declaration of the new marine reserve reflects the Howard government's commitment to developing a nationally representative system of marine
protected areas in Commonwealth waters and follows the declaration of the world's second largest marine park in the Great Australian Bight last year," said Senator Robert Hill.
One of the main purposes of creating the reserve is to protect plants and animals in the ocean. Many of these species are at risk because of human factors, and the government hopes that their chances of survival will be increased by the new reserve.
A great number of the unique species in the area live there because of the 70 undersea volcanoes. Many of the species have only been recently found and are not known to exist anywhere else in the world.
The fishing industry formerly posed a major threat to marine life, because fisherman dragged nets along the ocean floor. Now, the deeper parts of the ocean will be protected from fishing.
