The MOU Box, or sometimes the MOU 74 Box, refers to a rectangular tract of marine waters in the Timor Sea, lying within Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone, that is subject to a 1974 memorandum of understanding (MoU), and subsequent agreements, between

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and Indonesia rated to traditional fishing rights consistent with UNDRIP. The MOU Box covers an area of about including Scott and Seringapatam Reefs,

Browse Island Browse Island is a small, approximately , uninhabited island lying in the Timor Sea about north-west of the Kimberley coast of north-western Australia. It is a Western Australian Nature Reserve that is classed as 'Not Class A' vested with the ...

, and Ashmore and Cartier Islands. Australia declared a marine protected area around Ashmore Island in 1983, and around Cartier Island in 2000.

Agreement

The bilateral agreement establishing the MOU Box is officially known as the Australia–Indonesia Memorandum of Understanding regarding the Operations of Indonesian Traditional Fishermen in Areas of the Australian Fishing Zone and Continental Shelf – 1974. From 2001 cooperation under the Agreement has taken place through the Working Group on Marine Affairs and Fisheries, which brings together representatives of fisheries, research, and environment agencies from both countries. The agreement recognises access rights of traditional Indonesian fishers in shared waters to the north of Australia with regard to the long history of traditional Indonesian fishing there, especially for trepang, trochus,

abalone Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any of a group of small to very large marine gastropod molluscs in the family (biology), family Haliotidae. Other common name In biology, a common name of a taxon o ...

and sponges.

References

Treaties extended to Ashmore and Cartier Islands Treaties of Australia Treaties of Indonesia Australia–Indonesia relations Fishing areas of the Indian Ocean 1974 establishments in Australia {{Australia-geo-stub