Murat Commonwealth Marine Reserve

Murat Commonwealth Marine Reserve is a marine protected area located in the Great Australian Bight south of South Australia in waters within the Australian Exclusive economic zone to the west of the island group known as the Nuyts Archipelago and ranging in depth from 15 metres (49 ft) to 70 metres (230 ft). It was gazetted in November 2012. It is part of a group of Commonwealth marine reserves known as the South-west Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network. The reserve includes ecosystems representative of a feature known as the "Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition", two "key ecological features" being "benthic invertebrate communities’’ and "areas important for small pelagic fish", and the feeding areas for the following species - Australian sea lion, great white shark short-tailed shearwater and Caspian tern. It also provides protection for a submerged reef system known as "Yatala Reef". The reserve is classified as an IUCN Category II protected area.