Shark BayArticle Free Pass Shark Bay, inlet of the Indian Ocean,
Western Australia. It is sheltered on the west by Bernier,
Dorre, and Dirk Hartog islands. Peron Peninsula bisects the bay.
Geographe Channel forms the bay entrance north of Bernier
Island. The principal port along the bay is Carnarvon, at the
mouth of the Gascoyne River. Explored in 1616 by the Dutch
navigator Dirk Hartog, the bay was named (1699) by the pirate
William Dampier for its numerous sharks. Pearling, once
important, has given way to fishing (prawns, crayfish, whiting,
snapper). Salt extraction is a significant industry, and sheep
graze on the shore. Shark Bay shire bounds the bay to the south
and southeast. Shark Bay was designated a UNESCO World Heritage
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