Mistaken Island is an

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

located approximately south-east of Albany,

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. Located in

King George Sound King George Sound (Mineng ) is a sound (geography), sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came in ...

the island is located approximately from Vancouver peninsula. There is evidence that shore-based bay whaling activities were conducted on the island in the 19th century. In 1971, the island was declared as a class 1A

Nature Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

with a total area of . The area adjacent to the island is used to cultivate

mussel Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and Freshwater bivalve, freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other ...

s on long lines on licenses issued by the Department of fisheries and leases issued by the Albany Port Authority. Mistaken Island

Little penguin colony

The island received its name for the little penguin (''

Eudyptula minor The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is the smallest species of penguin. It originates from New Zealand. It is commonly known as the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, owing to its slate-blue plumage and is also known by ...

'') burrows which were mistaken for rabbit holes and the island has also been historically referred to as Rabbit Island. In 1936 and 1938, the penguins of Mistaken Island became victims of deliberately lit fires. Following the latter event, some were discovered with their feet "burned off". As of 2011, the penguin colony on Mistaken Island is the subject of scientific study.

References

{{reflist Nature reserves in Western Australia Islands of the Great Southern (Western Australia) Albany, Western Australia Whaling stations in Australia