Activity restrictions

Domesticated animals

Domesticated animals are allowed in any part of the marine park if they are on a vessel or on a leash, or are in areas where the Lord Howe Island Board permits them.
Domesticated animals will be permitted within any park zone if they are assisting a disabled person, are a police dog, remain confined to a vessel or vehicle, or if the owner has a Marine Parks permit.

Motorised vehicles

Emergency vehicles are permitted in all areas of the park.

Other vehicles are prohibited in the park except for launching or retrieving vessels from formalised boat-launching facilities or for accessing the jetty.
Vehicle access to other areas (which includes all areas below mean high water mark) requires a Marine Parks permit.

Anchoring and mooring

Anchoring is generally allowed in the marine park with the following exceptions:

Anchoring is prohibited in sanctuary zones except for vessels less than 10m long withing the following designated areas:
- the Admiralty Islands and Neds Beach sanctuary zone;
- the East Coast and Shelf Sanctuary sanctuary zone;
- within 100 m of the eastern end of North Bay Beach;
Vessels greater than 5 m long cannot be anchored in the Lord Howe Island Lagoon, except in:
- a designated area in North Bay;
- parts of Blackburn Island, North, South and Erscotts Passages;
- within 50 m of the boat ramp.
Vessels over 25 m cannot anchor in the marine park except at six designated anchorages.
The Marine Park provides ten lagoon moorings for the public and tour operators.
The Lord Howe Island Board maintains another 18 public moorings for visiting yachts.
A marine park permit is required to install or relocate a mooring in Lord Howe Island Marine Park.

Personal watercraft

Personal motorised watercraft (jet skis) use is prohibited within the Lord Howe Island Marine Park.

Discharge of ballast water

Seawater that is obtained for ballast from outside the marine park may not be discharged within the park. Vessels intending to discharge will be required to exchange or appropriately treat ballast water before entering the park. Ballast water can introduce potentially destructive exotic marine organisms.

Hull fouling

Visiting vessels with hulls or machinery heavily fouled by marine organisms that pose a significant risk of introducing exotic animals or plants may be expelled from the marine park.

The park is marine pest free, and sustaining the pristine marine and terrestrial ecosystems is of paramount importance.

Collecting

Collecting marine plants and animals in the marine park is subject to these regulations:

collecting in habitat protection zones is allowed, limited to those species and quantities listed in Table 2 of the Lord Howe Island Marine Park User's Guide (PDF, 2730.2 KB)
Commercial collection for the aquarium trade is prohibited
Recreational collecting of aquarium specimens is allowed with a permit
Collecting marine plants and animals for scientific or educational purposes is allowed in habitat protection zones with a permit

Fish cleaning in Lord Howe Island lagoon

All fish caught outside of the lagoon must be cleaned outside of the lagoon, west of an imaginary line between north and south head. Fish caught within the lagoon may be cleaned within the lagoon or disposed of at the waste management facility.

Artificial reefs

Please see the policy on Artificial reefs and fish attracting devices in NSW Marine Parks for more information.