A marine park is an area of the sea zoned two nautical miles from the shore at lowest low tide, except for Kapas Island in Terengganu, Kuraman Island, Rusukan Besar and Rusukan Kecil Islands in Labuan which are zoned one nautical mile each from the shore at lowest low tide. To date, waters of 42 islands in Malaysia have been gazetted as marine parks. Marine parks have garnered much attention among researchers and marine advocacy groups as a tool for protecting marine habitats, preserving unique marine ecosystems and fishery management. There is a strong scientific consensus that they increase biodiversity, contribute towards increased abundance of fish, guard against the shortcomings of other management tools and protect against the risk of fishery collapse. In addition to the claims of increased productivity, experiences at some of the marine parks around the region have shown that protected spots recover very quickly and experience a rapid increase in fish numbers in the first year or two after disturbances. While marine parks may offer promise for the conservation and management of marine fisheries and their habitats, much is unknown about what benefit has been derived from existing marine parks for the conservation and management of marine fish and their habitats (other than in small, localised areas) in Malaysia. For example, some of our marine parks have been in existence for more than 20 years, yet little data exists regarding their overall performance on fisheries conservation. As such, this paper provides an overview of the current status and issues facing Malaysian marine parks in conserving and sustaining fisheries.