The firth is surrounded by four council areas: Fife, Perth and Kinross, Dundee City, and Angus.

[4] The Firth of Tay in Antarctica was discovered in 1892–1893 by Captain Thomas Robertson of the Dundee whaling expedition and named by him after the one in Scotland.

Several parts of the firth are within a site of special scientific interest – Inner Tay Estuary, Monifieth Bay, Tayport-Tentsmuir Coast.

The Firth of Tay is noted for its extensive sand and mudflats, its population of common seals, and its wintering birds (such as oystercatcher, bar-tailed godwit, shelduck and velvet scoter).

The reed bed on the north shore of the inner estuary in the firth is about 15 km long; it is thought to be the most extensive reedbed in Britain.