"We now know we've got to be concerned with nearshore waters as well as offshore waters," says former Chairman of the Authority Dr Ian McPhail. "This was not clearly understood at the time the Marine Park was created."

The series of coastal pockets stretch along the Queensland coastline from Cape York to just north of Bundaberg and include inshore waters off Cooktown, Mission Beach, the Burdekin, Mackay and Yeppoon. Significant strips run from Daintree to Mourilyan and from Lucinda to the Bohle River.

The extensions are expected to provide for more contiguous management of the Great Barrier Reef Region and will help to fill in 'the gaps in the management jigsaw', according to the Authority's Manager of Planning, John Baldwin.

"The significance of the proposed extension lies in the fact that areas previously excluded from the Marine Park will be brought under the umbrella of sustainable management by the Authority," says Mr Baldwin.

The proposed extensions play host to a variety of activities, including shipping and fishing, and range from areas of remote wilderness to areas of high human use.

"Management planning for these areas will take into account these uses in recognition of their value to a variety of people," says Mr Baldwin.