Plans to turn a coral archipelago in Western Australia into a national park have been met with opposition after tourism and industry officials butted heads over the potential visitor influx expected from such a move.

A network of 123 islands off the coast of Geraldton – 417km from the nearest major city of Perth – the Houtman Abrolhos offer huge tourism potential but could affect the region’s fishermen, who use the area to catch lobster and fin fish.

Earlier this month Western Australia premier Colin Barnett unveiled the national park plan, which covers around 90 per cent of the islands. As part of the plan, camping will be allowed for the first time at select sites while infrastructure for tourists would also be improved. The national park will cover the unoccupied islands and will be managed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife.

“I’d like to see the Abrolhos become the jewel in the Geraldton crown, but this must be done on the basis that it is environmentally sustainable,” said Barnett.

"The Abrolhos are the jewel in the crown of the Mid-West coast, but have been largely untapped for tourism purposes. This new arrangement will ensure better access and also lead to better visitor facilities on the islands."

According to the Barnett's plans, recreational and commercial fishers will not be affected by the move, but the Professional Fishermen's Association (PFA) have called conflict between fishers and tourists “inevitable” based on the increased numbers of people that would be brought to the area.

"I don’t believe we should be mixing commercial fishing and tourism,” said PFA president Terry Mouchemore, speaking to Australian news outlet 7 News. “There are too many potential areas for conflict.”