The Houtman Abrolhos Islands and surrounding waters are home to many different creatures, including:
coral reefs
lobsters
fish
birds
We manage the Islands under detailed 
strategic and management plans.
Abrolhos waters are among the most pristine in Australia. Warmed by the Leeuwin current, Abrolhos waters have more nutrients than coastal waters near the mainland. This makes the world under the water a veritable aquarium of marine life.
In cooperation with the Department of Health, we monitor water quality at the Abrolhos to ensure that any potential pollutants are identified before they can impact on the marine environment and fisheries.
You’ll find some of the southernmost coral reefs in the world at the Abrolhos. Even the islands themselves are built on ancient coral reefs. Coral reef research at the Islands started with William Saville Kent in 1897 and continues today. We work closely with a number of organisations on this research, including:
State Natural Resource Management (NRM) Program
CSIRO
Department of Environment and Conservation
The University of Western Australia
Some of the current Abrolhos coral research includes:
Remote sensing mapping of coral habitats.
There is also research into western rock lobsters. At Rat Island puerulus (transparent baby rock lobsters) that settle on artificial “collectors” are counted. They provide a good indication of what the adult lobster population is likely to be in three to four years’ time.
Finfish at the Abrolhos include species from tropical and temperate waters, with tropical coral trout swimming in the same waters as temperate pink snapper.
They have been plentiful since the Islands were first surveyed in 1840, but this is through careful management. Remember to fish for the future and always fish by the rules.
The Abrolhos is one of the most significant seabird nesting areas in the eastern Indian Ocean. More than two million birds breed on the rocks and islands of the Abrolhos.
Many different bird species call the Abrolhos home. The Abrolhos Painted Button Quail is only found here, while the Australian Lesser Noddy breeds nowhere else in Australia. Most Abrolhos birds are protected by international agreements between Australia, China, the Republic of Korea and Japan.
One of the current initiatives aimed at conserving bird populations at the Abrolhos is the Rat Island Recovery project, under the Conservation Council of WA’s Citizen Science Program.