A major upgrade to Reef Life Explorer has launched today, giving marine managers, researchers & the public a new way to examine how reefs are changing. Users can compare ecological trends in & outside protected areas using a standardised approach. Explore Reef Life Explorer: explorer.reeflife.org

Beneath the kelp forests of the Great Southern Reef, deep sponge gardens form living habitat on the seafloor. These slow-growing animal forests filter water, shelter marine life and hold species science is still working to name.

Calling all fish nerds. Can you tell which flathead species this is? Several flathead species found across the Great Southern Reef can look very similar, particularly when their colours and markings help them disappear into seagrass and reef habitat. What’s your call?

Southern calamari stocks have declined in parts of Tasmania, prompting scientists and fishers to work together to better understand where & when these iconic squid spawn. A new IMAS-led project is combining environmental data, fishery information & local knowledge to better understand the species.

A new study has examined a method known as “applied nucleation” - a restoration approach where small patches are established in suitable places. Can it help rebuild marine forests over time? Find out greatsouthernreef.com/small-forests

A new review brings together decades of research on crown-of-thorns starfish and longspined sea urchins, showing that preventing outbreaks and barrens before they become established is far more effective than responding after widespread reef degradation has occurred. doi.org/10.1071/MF25...

On Friday we welcomed a strong community turnout to the opening of the Yorke Peninsula Reef Resilience Photo & Art Showcase. Congrats to our People's Choice student award winners: 🏆 Primary Winner: Maeve Tilbrook, Self Portrait (Year 1) 🏆 Secondary Winner: Lauren McIntosh, Ocean Trio (Year 12)

A new study shows that early detection, rapid response and ongoing control can successfully suppress invasive wakame (Undaria pinnatifida). It now occurs in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, where it can spread rapidly in disturbed habitats. greatsouthernreef.com/news?mc_cid=... 📸 Kade Mills

Why are scientists punching holes in kelp? Find out: greatsouthernreef.com/news?mc_cid=... #greatsouthernreef

Golden kelp forests underpin huge stretches of the Great Southern Reef, but warming seas are putting them under pressure. Adj. Prof. Mel Coleman & molecular biologist Dr Hugh Goold is exploring how biotechnology could support golden kelp's climate resilience. greatsouthernreef.com/news#kelp-ge...

The giant cuttlefish aggregation is one of Australia's great wildlife spectacles. By mid-June, it should be in full swing. This year, the reefs are largely empty.

With mew support for abalone industry resilience and marine planning reform, Tasmania has an opportunity to turn investment into sustained action for kelp forests, reef recovery, fisheries and healthier marine ecosystems. greatsouthernreef.com/news#tas-bud...

New study: hatchery-grown golden kelp lost substantial genetic diversity in single generation. Highlights need to build genetics into restoration planning from start, so restored reefs retain adaptive capacity needed to cope with future climate change. greatsouthernreef.com/news?mc_cid=...

Teachers can access the White Rock documentary as well as primary and high school resources through the Great Southern Reef Educator Hub, with flexible activities that can be used across one lesson, a few lessons or a full unit. greatsouthernreef.com/educator-hub

Over 400 scientists, young people, Indigenous leaders & conservation experts have signed an open letter calling for stronger, long-term investment in nature. Read the full open letter: biodiversitycouncil.org.au/resources/op...

A new report from Green Adelaide’s Rocky Reef Program brings together more than 18 years of biodiversity data from over 40 monitoring sites, providing one of the most consistent records of reef condition in South Australia. cdn.environment.sa.gov.au/greenadelaid...

The Revive & Restore Biodiversity Climate Resilience Fund is backing ambitious high-impact projects that use biotechnology to help marine ecosystems adapt to climate change, including genetic rescue, biobanking and gene editing.  3 of the 10 funded projects are focused on the Great Southern Reef.

Victoria’s 2024 State of the Marine and Coastal Environment report offers a detailed snapshot of how reefs are changing across the state, from kelp decline and shifting species to habitat restoration and citizen science. Read our breakdown: greatsouthernreef.com/victoria-mar...

A “living library” at Deakin’s Queenscliff Marine Science Centre is banking at-risk species like golden kelp, native flat oysters and seagrass. The work helps protect genetic diversity now, giving future reef restoration more options. Watch the full video on Deakin’s YouTube.

Fantastic to see the Great Southern Reef featured on ABC’s Gardening Australia this week, introducing a broad national audience to kelp forest restoration in Port Phillip Bay. The segment (now available on iview) feat. showcases this major collaborative restoration effort of golden kelp.

The 11th annual Practical Introduction to Temperate Marine Biology course has wrapped up on Maria Island, giving 24 selected Year 11 and 12 students from across Australia a hands-on week of marine science with the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania.

Using an underwater robot, researchers from the University of Adelaide are retrieving settlement plates. Native oysters have been recorded at all retrieved sites so far. The plates are also recording scallops, cockles, mussels, fish eggs and other marine life. 🤖🎥 Nichole Lindsey (PhD candidate)

New research on a climate-vulnerable seaweed shows overall genetic diversity stayed surprisingly stable through time, but some populations held unique genetic signatures not found elsewhere. Protecting distinct reef populations matters as marine heatwaves intensify.

A new paper published in Marine Environmental Research introduces Urchinbot, an open-source machine learning model designed to detect and classify the key sea urchin species responsible for catastrophic kelp loss across northeastern NZ and SE Australia. Learn more greatsouthernreef.com/squidle

Marine imaging has expanded faster than scientists can efficiently analyse it. Squidle+ was built to deal with that problem. As of April 2026, Squidle+ has grown to 📸 >10.5 million images ⛴️ from 25,998 deployments ✴️ >6.5 million annotations 👩🏾‍💻 >2,500 registered users 🏫 from 330 affiliations.

Marine scientists are collecting more underwater imagery than ever before. The challenge is no longer collecting data. It is turning those images into usable management-ready information. That bottleneck is starting to shift with the Squidle+ platform greatsouthernreef.com/squidle

New research shows place-based ocean education can help students build a stronger connection to their local marine environment. Before the program, many students pictured local marine environment as tropical. After, drawings reflected a stronger awareness of temperate reef life.

Razorfish beds are an important part of South Australia’s coastal ecosystems. Marine ecologist Dr Dominic McAfee's recent observations of razorfish mortalities reflect a broader pattern seen across the state due to the harmful algal bloom.

Australia’s new National Marine Science Strategy 2026–36 arrives at a time when pressure on the ocean is rising fast. We look at what the strategy backs, where the gaps still sit, and what it could mean for the Great Southern Reef. greatsouthernreef.com/national-mar...

Reef pods are being deployed in Sydney Harbour as part of Project Restore, a restoration program led by Sydney Institute of Marine Science. Designed by Reef Design Lab to mimic natural temperate rocky reefs, the modules give fish & invertebrates more shelter in places where habitat has been degraded