Editing Houtman Abrolhos (section)

==Human uses==

===Fishing and tourism===
Fresh water has always been a significant constraint on any permanent settlement. Aside from the early castaways noted above, the Islands have only had a small seasonal population of fishermen. The present fishermen all have permanent residence elsewhere, mainly in [[Geraldton]], but their island shacks are used as a base during the season. For example, North Island has a seasonal camp for western rock lobster fishers, with individual moorings and simple dwellings. During lobster season, which runs from 15 March to 30 June, the island hosts up to 130 people. The camp is serviced by a carrier boat, the North Islander, which visits the island every three days, bringing supplies and taking out the catch and any domestic waste.

Tourists are not allowed to camp, and the conservation designation of the Island group forbids any real expansion in human occupation.

====Western rock lobster====
The islands are the centre of the [[western rock lobster]] fishery, the largest single-species fishery in Western Australia.

====Saucer scallops====
After Shark Bay, the Houtman Abrolhos supports Western Australia's second largest [[saucer scallop]] fishery.<ref name="Fisheries 2007">{{cite book|title=Management of the Houtman Abrolhos System: A Draft Review 2007–2017 |series=Fisheries Management Paper No. 220 |year=2007 |publisher=Department of Fisheries, Government of Western Australia |url=http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/mp/mp220/fmp220.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090609101748/http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/mp/mp220/fmp220.pdf |archive-date=9 June 2009 |access-date=2007-12-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Fisheries 2000">{{cite book |title=Aquaculture Plan for the Houtman Abrolhos Islands |series =Fisheries Management Paper No. 137 |year=2000 |publisher=Department of Fisheries, Government of Western Australia |url=http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/mp/mp137/fmp137.pdf |access-date=2007-12-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010115535/http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/mp/mp137/fmp137.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2007 }}</ref> This fishery is managed under the ''Abrolhos Islands and Mid West Trawl Limited Entry Fishery Notice 1993''. Only 17 licences have been issued, and no more will be made available, as the saucer scallop is considered fully exploited. Licensees are constrained to operate only during scallop season, which generally runs from 1 April to 30 June, and are also subject to restrictions on gear design, boat size and crew numbers.<ref name="DEH 2005">{{cite book | year = 2005 | title = Assessment of the Abrolhos Islands and Mid West Trawl Managed Fishery | publisher = Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government | url = http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/fisheries/wa/abrolhos-island/index.html | access-date = 2008-05-03}}</ref>

Scallop fishers mainly operate east of the Houtman Abrolhos and between the island groups, in waters deeper than {{convert|30|m}}. Activity is targeted at sheltered areas of bare sand, where scallops tend to settle. Catches vary greatly from year to year; from 2001 to 2003, for example, the total annual catch totalled {{convert|1182|,|195|and|5840|t|e6lb|abbr=off|disp=or}} (whole weight) respectively. This variability is apparently related to the strength of the Leeuwin Current, as strong current is correlated with low scallop recruitment.<ref name="DEH 2005"/>

The total value of the fishery in 2003 was A$19.6 million, although this figure includes a small prawn fishery operating out of [[Port Gregory]]. Most of the catch is frozen and exported to Asia.<ref name="DEH 2005"/>

====Finfish====
The Houtman Abrolhos is the site of some [[wetlining]] activity.

===Aquaculture===
The Department of Fisheries have issued a number of licences to cultivate [[black-lip pearl oyster]]s in the Abrolhos. The first recipient of a license was Abrolhos Pearls in 1996.<ref name="LandLine 2003">{{cite web | title = Landline: 25/5/2003: Abrolhos producing real pearlers | url = http://www.abc.net.au/landline/stories/s861953.htm | author = Murphy, Sean | publisher = [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] | access-date = 2007-12-01}}</ref> By 2000, another license had been issued and four more applications had been received.<ref name="Fisheries 2000"/> A year later, there were {{convert|10|km2}} licensed for the culture of pearl oysters in the Abrolhos, of which about 21% was actually in use, carrying over 210,000 shell.<ref name="SOTFR 2001">{{cite web|work=State of the Fisheries Report 2000/2001 |title=Pearling and Aquaculture |url=http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/sof/2000/sof20002001-0401.pdf |publisher=Department of Fisheries, Government of Western Australia |access-date=2007-12-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060827081745/http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/sof/2000/sof20002001-0401.pdf |archive-date=27 August 2006 }}</ref> Six licences had been issued by 2002,<ref name="Webster 2002"/> and by 2007 that number had grown to eight.<ref name="Fisheries 2007"/>

95% of the [[pearl]] [[aquaculture]] is carried out in the Pelsaert Group. Most licenses are over areas of sand, but some areas contain small amounts of coral reef.<ref name="Webster 2002"/> The colour of the pearls produced is quite different from that of Pacific black pearls, and this is considered a potential marketing tool.<ref name="SOTFR 2001"/>

In addition to pearl aquaculture, a pilot sea cage [[finfish]] farm was licensed in 2004, although {{As of|2007|lc=y}} the license had not been exercised. Interest has also been expressed in the culture of [[live rock]] and coral for the [[aquarium]] industry.<ref name="Fisheries 2007"/> The Department of Fisheries has identified a number of species as having potential for aquaculture in the Abrolhos, including the Shark Bay pearl oyster (''[[Pinctada albina]]''), the [[maxima clam]] (''Tridacna maxima''), [[rock oyster]]s (''Saccostrea'' sp.), the [[saucer scallop]] (''Amusium balloti''), the western rock lobster, and a number of species of finfish, most of which are [[filter feeder]]s.<ref name="Fisheries 2000"/>

===Mineral exploration===
[[Oil exploration|Petroleum exploration]] wells were drilled in Abrolhos waters in the 1960s and 1970s, but were capped and abandoned. The Abrolhos was amongst the areas released for further exploration in 2002.

===Recreation===
[[File:Ernie Dingo diving at the Houtman Abrolhos.jpg|thumb|[[Ernie Dingo]] dives on a coral reef at the Houtman Abrolhos, during shooting for the Australian television show ''[[The Great Outdoors (Australian TV series)|The Great Outdoors]]''.]]

The Abrolhos provides some of the best [[snorkelling]], [[Underwater diving|diving]] and deep sea fishing in the world, along with some of Australia's most significant historical sights, such as the [[shipwreck]] of the ''[[Batavia (1628 ship)|Batavia]]''.

Although an important tourist destination, the tourists are not allowed to stay overnight.