It is managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

Nine small cays, with a combined area of 9 ha (22 acres), comprise the Swain Reefs Important Bird Area (IBA), identified as such by BirdLife International because together they support over 1% of the world population of breeding roseate terns, and even larger numbers of non-breeding roseate terns, with up to 25,000 individuals recorded there.

[1] Other birds recorded on the cays include masked and brown boobies, silver gulls, black-naped, sooty, bridled, greater crested, lesser crested and little terns, black and common noddies, and lesser frigatebirds.

[2] The rockcod (Epinephelus fuscomarginatus), which is popular in Australian cuisine, occurs here at depths of about 220 m (720 ft).

This Queensland protected areas related article is a stub.