Editing Houtman Abrolhos (section)

====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"/>