Exmouth Gulf is a gulf

Bay

A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...

 in the north west

North West Australia

The terms North West Australia, The North West and North Western Australia have been used as a regular label for the region of the North of Western Australia and the West of the Northern Territory.- Early 20th century gold rush:...

 of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. It lies between North West Cape

North West Cape

North West Cape is a large peninsula of land in the north west coast of Western Australia. Cape Range runs down the spine of the peninsula and Ningaloo Reef runs along the western edge...

 and the main coastline of Western Australia. It is considered to be part of the region of the North West Shelf

North West Shelf

The North West Shelf of Western Australia is an extensive oil and gas region off the North West Australia coast in the Pilbara region.It has a considerable number of oil and gas wells, pipelines, production areas and support facilities.- Location :...

 and in the Canning Basin

Canning Basin

The Canning Basin is a geological basin located in Western Australia.The Basin covers approximately of which approximately is on land...

 area.

Environment

Exmouth Gulf is a rich marine environment. It is a nursery for humpback whales, dugong

Dugong

The dugong is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow , was hunted to extinction in the 18th century...

 and turtle

Turtle

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...

s. The mangrove

Mangrove

Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...

 systems on the eastern margins are areas of high primary productivity feeding and restocking both the Gulf and the famed nearby Ningaloo Reef

Ningaloo Reef

Ningaloo Reef is a fringing coral reef located off the west coast of Australia, approximately 1200 km north of Perth. The reef is 260 km long and is Australia's largest fringing coral reef and the only large reef positioned very close to a landmass....

.

A proposal for a system of solar salt evaporation ponds

Salt evaporation pond

Salt evaporation ponds, also called salterns or salt pans, are shallow artificial ponds designed to produce salts from sea water or other brines. The seawater or brine is fed into large ponds and water is drawn out through natural evaporation which allows the salt to be subsequently harvested...

 stretching more than 30 km along the gulf's south-western coast has given rise to heated debate on possible environmental impacts on the area.

The Gulf and off-shore waters beyond the Ningaloo fringing reef are home to some of Australia's greatest sport fish including Marlin, Spanish Mackerel, and several sub-species of Tuna. The Gulf sustains one of Western Australia's largest prawn fisheries, managed by the Kailis Fishing Group, which operates under license from the Western Australian Government.

Birds

The mangroves along the eastern side of the gulf stretch for nearly 50 km. They have been identified by BirdLife International

BirdLife International

BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...

 as a 420 km² Important Bird Area

Important Bird Area

An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...

 (IBA) because they support over 1% of the world populations of Pied Oystercatcher

Pied Oystercatcher

The Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. The similar South Island Pied Oystercatcher The Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading...

s and Grey-tailed Tattler

Grey-tailed Tattler

The Grey-tailed Tattler, Tringa brevipes , is a small shorebird.- Description :...

s, as well as being an important site for the restricted-range Dusky Gerygone

Dusky Gerygone

The Dusky Gerygone is a species of bird in the Acanthizidae family.It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.-References:...

. Another IBA is 11 ha Sunday Island

Sunday Island (Exmouth Gulf)

Sunday Island is a small island, lying about 15 km south-east of the Muiron Islands, in the Exmouth Gulf of north-western Australia.-Description:...

, lying in the north of the Gulf near the Muiron Islands, which is an important nesting site for Roseate Tern

Roseate Tern

The Roseate Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a number of geographical races, differing mainly in bill colour and minor plumage details....

s.

Further reading

• Western Australia. Dept. of Planning and Urban Development. (1992) Exmouth coastal strategy Department of Planning and Urban Development. Perth, W.A. : The Dept. ISBN 0730932591 (pbk.)