Coral Bay Research Station

16/05/2023

Tim Winton's Ningaloo Nyinggulu screens tonight on ABC TV. We're proud to have played a small part in the creation of this new tv series.

21/04/2022

Sad news - but we're now looking forward to the recovery. These events are partially a result of Bills Bay's richness and fecundity; the sheer reproductive output of the corals, combined with unfavourable weather conditions sometimes results in these events. We will be working with a number of scientific and community partners to monitor the event and the Bay's recovery.

Spawning event goes wrong near colossal coral bommie dubbed Ayers Rock

03/12/2021

We're rather excited about today's announcement that the critical Exmouth Gulf ecosystem will receive state government protection as a new marine park. The links between Exmouth Gulf and Ningaloo Reef are well documented, and this strengthens the protection for the whole region.

Major breakthrough for Ningaloo’s nursery!

Premier Mark McGowan and Minister for the Environment Amber-Jade Sanderson visited Exmouth today to make a crucial announcement about the future of Exmouth Gulf.

Firstly, that the government will create Class A Reserves at Qualing Pool, Cameron’s Cave and the Gulf’s islands. And second, that marine park protection will be granted to the eastern and southern parts of the Gulf.

This is overdue recognition of Exmouth Gulf’s exceptional status, and it sends an emphatic signal to developers keen to industrialise our remarkable arid-zone estuary.

Qualing Pool, near Pebble Beach, is the proposed site for Gascoyne Gateway’s deep water port and today’s announcement suggests this divisive and destructive proposal is now unlikely to proceed.

Marine park status for the eastern gulf also casts grave doubt over K+S’s proposed salt production facility in those pristine mangroves and tidal flats.

In its recent strategic advice regarding cumulative impacts on the Gulf, the EPA acknowledged the Gulf’s globally significant values, its remarkably high social values, and the increasing pressures it faces, especially from developers and heavy industry. The government is implementing all the EPA’s recommendations. Many of you contributed to that assessment and all the work that triggered it, and many of you wrote to the Minister of the Environment asking for protection for Ningaloo’s nursery, so this announcement is something you helped bring about.

Today marks a turning point for Exmouth Gulf and Ningaloo and a landmark for conservation on the North West Cape. It signals an end to the relentless push for industrialisation. And it’s a major vindication of the Protect Ningaloo campaign which began in Exmouth and was convened by CCG. We look forward to sharing more details as they become available.

12/11/2021

Congratulations to our own Frazer McGregor for his selfless service to the Coral Bay community!

17/09/2020

Today is the first official World Manta Day - a day to celebrate and recognise these amazing marine animals that play such an important role in the ecology of our marine environment. More information on global World Manta Day activities is available at: https://www.worldmantaday.com/

The Coral Bay Research Station has been involved in research on the biology and ecology of manta rays since its establishment; we have supported numerous students, and have been supported by fellow researchers through Project Manta - The manta rays of Australia, citizen scientists (through groups like Earthwatch Australia), businesses (like Ningaloo Marine Interactions, Austral Fisheries) and funding bodies like the Australian Research Council. As mesoscale predators, Coral Bay's manta rays play an important role in maintaining the ecological balance of Ningaloo Reef, as well as supporting the Coral Bay ecotourism industry.

We have so much left to learn about these amazing animals, and the Coral Bay Research Station remains at the forefront of research and lobbying activity to improve protection for manta rays.

02/09/2020

The latest paper from on the mantas of Ningaloo Reef, some of the results of our ARC-funded Project Manta, a collaboration between UQ, Murdoch/Coral Bay Research Station, Deakin, Austral Fisheries, TG Kailis Marine Conservation Fund, Ningaloo Marine Interactions, Lady Elliot Island Ecoresort, Manta Lodge Stradbroke Island and Earthwatch Institute. This paper is part of the PhD research of Amelia Armstrong - congratulations Amelia 🙂

Reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) are capable of long-distance dispersal when habitat is continuous. In the Ningaloo Reef World Heritage Area located on Australia’s mid-west coast, M. alfredi is sighted year-round and is a focal species for ecotourism in the region. Despite value to local tourism a...

12/08/2020

It was a pleasure to welcome Murdoch University Vice Chancellor Professor Eeva Leinonen to the Coral Bay Research Station this week. Professor Leinonen was very impressed with the facility and we had positive discussions about the future development of the site.