March 2026
Across the Great Southern Reef, researchers, divers, artists and community groups continue to document, celebrate and care for our vast temperate reef system. This month’s newsletter brings together stories from the field, new research insights and a range of upcoming events across the reef.
There have also a few opportunities to tune in, including a citizen science seminar on seadragons and reef monitoring, along with an ABC Four Corners investigation into South Australia’s harmful algal bloom, which aired on March 16. More details below.
Field Photo Journal: Bass Strait Expedition
Truwana Rangers, Pakana Rangers and IMAS researchers have conducted a two week expedition through Tayaritja/Bass Strait Islands surveying remnant giant kelp populations and reef biodiversity across this remote stretch of Sea Country.
“Seeing the health & biodiversity of our sea country is essential to our management as Indigenous rangers and custodians of our Sea Country.”
For rangers Phil Thomas and Shane Hughes, the voyage offered a chance to apply new dive skills while documenting the health of the waters they help manage. Our latest field photo journal shares images and moments from the expedition, including remnant patches of giant kelp, bull kelp and strap weed, along with the remarkable reefs that link eastern and western Great Southern Reef species.
Devil in the Detail
A new South Australian study has tracked Southern Blue Devils using photo identification, matching individual fish by the unique markings on both sides of their head. The results show high site fidelity, with many devils sticking to the same small patch of reef for years. The research draws on long-term observations including Seacliff Reef in Gulf St Vincent.
Read more about what the research reveals, why local impacts hit hard, and how you can help in this new research spotlight article.
Four Corners: Toxic Tide
The South Australian harmful algal bloom continues to devastate parts of the coastline more than a year after it first appeared. Fish deaths, declining water clarity and impacts on fisheries have raised growing concern among communities, scientists and industry.
GSRF aerial and underwater footage featured in the special segment.
On March 16, ABC Four Corners pieced together internal advice, public messaging and the broader implications as climate-driven marine disasters become more frequent. Tune in to the Four Corners’ full investigation Toxic Tide, on ABC iview.
Seeing Seadragons: Citizen Science and Reef Monitoring
Seadragons are among the most recognisable species of the Great Southern Reef, yet scientists remain concerned their numbers may be declining. Recently at the University of Adelaide, marine biologist Prof. Greg Rouse (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) shared insights into how researchers and citizen scientists are working together to better understand and monitor these remarkable fish.
The seminar highlighted SeadragonSearch, a community science project using diver photos to digitally tag and track individual seadragons across their range. With growing pressures on reef systems, including the recent harmful algal bloom affecting South Australian gulfs, improving data on species like seadragons is increasingly important for reef research and conservation.
Unfortunately, due to a technical glitch the talk was not recorded. The good news is that Greg has kindly agreed to record a new version of the presentation and host an online Q&A session with members of the SeadragonSearch team, giving people the chance to ask questions directly.
Keep an eye on our channels for details on how to watch the recording and take part in the upcoming Q&A.
South Australian Exhibition Opening
Over the summer, divers, snorkellers, artists, and photographers were invited to document the colour, life, and changing conditions across the South Australian coastline. The response was incredible, with nearly 200 entries submitted. With finalist works selected and exhibition about to open, join us for a celebration of South Australia’s marine life through photography, film and art.
The event brings together award-winning images, creative works and new underwater footage filmed across South Australia this summer.
Surfer Torren Martyn takes audiences on a striking journey along Tasmania’s rugged coastline in the new documentary Southern Edge, now touring Australia through April and May. The film captures remote waves, wild coastlines and the rich marine life of the Great Southern Reef, with underwater scenes filmed beneath Tasmania’s kelp forests. The documentary also features GSRF co-founder Scott Bennett, helping connect the adventure on the surface with the reef ecosystem below.
Southern Edge Film Tour
We are proud to have GSRF underwater footage included in the film, and grateful that profits from ticket sales will be donated to Surfrider Foundation and the Great Southern Reef Foundation. If the tour passes through your area, it is well worth seeing on the big screen. Tickets and Australian tour dates are available here.
Join our friends at Southern Seagreens and the Western Port Biosphere for a relaxed outdoor film night celebrating the ocean. The evening includes screenings of White Rock, exploring the challenges facing kelp forests and longspined sea urchins, alongside An Ode to Kelp, a short film about kelp farming.
Mornington Peninsula Ocean Film Night
Local food and drinks will be available, including sea urchin and seaweed tastings. Tickets are $10, with the event taking place on Saturday 28 March, 6–10pm in Dromana, Victoria
Divers Remove Two Thousand Invasive Sea Stars
Community divers and passionate university students in Hobart recently joined forces to tackle the invasive Northern Pacific sea star. At an underwater Clean Up Australia Day event, volunteers from the UTAS Dive Club, UTAS Science Communicators Network, Invasive Seastar Clean Up Tasmania, and partners including TasPorts removed 2,256 sea stars (around 490 kg) from the harbour in just 90 minutes.
The Northern Pacific sea star is an introduced species that preys on shellfish and other bottom-dwelling marine life. In high numbers it can reduce populations of mussels, scallops and clams, and alter seabed communities that many other species rely on for food and shelter, placing pressure on local ecosystems.
Help Name a Kelp Forest
Kelp forests sit just offshore from many parts of Sydney’s coastline, yet they remain largely unseen and rarely spoken about. A new community workshop in Coogee is organised for Tuesday 17th March, 9–11am, which will bring people together to learn about these underwater ecosystems and explore how naming a local kelp forest could help strengthen connection to the underwater forests just offshore.
Hosted by Operation Crayweed, the session will include short talks on local kelp forests, guided discussion about community connections to this stretch of coastline, and a collaborative process to develop a shortlist of possible names for the kelp forest off Coogee.
The shortlisted names will later be shared online for a wider public vote in April. No scientific background is needed. The workshop is open to anyone curious about Sydney’s underwater forests and interested in caring for the marine environment. This is part of an international initiative, with kelp naming workshops also being organised locally in Argentina and Korea.
Each year the Ocean Lovers Festival in Sydney brings together scientists, filmmakers, artists and ocean advocates for a series of public talks, films and events celebrating Australia’s marine life.
Kelp Forests in Focus at Ocean Lovers Festival
The program includes Ancient Currents: Indigenous Ways of Knowing the Ocean on Sunday 22 March (10 to 11am), hosted by Dr Mitch Gibbs and featuring Dr Jodi Edwards and Frederick Lefoe from Saltwater Detectives. The session will share Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on Sea Country, cultural responsibility and long-standing knowledge of ocean and coast.
Later in the day, Kelp Magic: The Ocean’s Unsung Wonder (2 to 3pm) will explore the role kelp forests play in supporting biodiversity, fisheries and coastal communities. The panel is hosted by Dr Aaron Eger, marine scientist and Director of the Kelp Forest Alliance, bringing together voices from science, conservation and ocean storytelling.
Thanks for being here and for your ongoing support of the Great Southern Reef Foundation. We rely on the generous support of individuals and organisations to fuel our initiatives, power our outreach, and make a tangible difference in the future of the GSR.
The GSRF holds Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, meaning all donations over $2 are tax-deductible. You can make a one-off donation or become a GSR Friend, Champion or Guardian through our monthly supporter program.
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February 2026
This month’s update brings together hands-on action, new learning tools and the latest reef science from across the Great Southern Reef. It’s a packed issue, offering new ways to get involved, fresh resources for classrooms, and timely insights from researchers working across the reef.
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January 2026
As 2026 gets underway, the Great Southern Reef Foundation enters the year with a strengthened Board guiding our work. This group brings experience across science, Indigenous leadership, governance, strategy, and storytelling as we focus on long-term protection of the Great Southern Reef.
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December 2025
This year was also a milestone for the Great Southern Reef Foundation as we secured Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. Your engagement, advocacy and financial contributions help us grow our programs in education, communications and impact, and strengthen the partnerships that make this work possible. DGR status also makes it easier for new supporters to back the reef in a practical way.
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November 2025
Welcome to the November issue of the Great Southern Reef newsletter. This issue is packed with new stories of action and collaboration, from Sea Country leaders uniting in NSW Parliament, to restoration and research projects across southern Australia, plus exciting announcements for educators and partners.
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OCTOBER 2025
Welcome to the October edition of the Great Southern Reef newsletter. This month features new research from across the GSR, an update on South Australia’s ongoing algal bloom, fresh citizen science opportunities, and two new ocean-themed card games designed to spark curiosity and learning, plus a whole heap more.
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AUGUST 2025
The harmful algal bloom along South Australia’s coast has now attracted widespread national and international attention. This momentum has been driven in no small part by the extraordinary efforts of citizen scientists, fishers, divers, and community members who have documented impacts and shared them widely. Your photos, observations, and stories have helped build a groundswell that decision-makers cannot ignore.
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MAY 2025
Over the past three weeks, White Rock has hit the road with sold-out screenings, passionate conversations and fresh urchin feasts. The Em-Urchin-cy Tour kicked off with a packed premiere at Hobart’s State Cinema. From there, the tour hit the east coast with events in Bendalong, Bawley Point, Melbourne, Torquay, Warrnambool, Narooma, Merimbula, Byron Bay and Manly.
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APRIL 2025
White Rock hits the road! With a sold-out Hobart launch, our Em-urchin-cy Tour is officially underway. Dive into updates on school resources, lobster recovery, sea lion science, climate-fuelled fish kills, and citizen-powered species tracking. Plus, new research reveals not all reef species are heading south. Let’s get into it.
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FEBRUARY 2025
Welcome to the February 2025 Newsletter. Packed with exciting updates, inspiring stories, and opportunities to get involved, this edition has something for everyone passionate about the Great Southern Reef.
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January 2025 news
Packed with exciting updates, inspiring stories, and opportunities to get involved, this edition has something for everyone passionate about the Great Southern Reef.
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december 2024
This issue includes an exclusive look at our collaboration with artist Amok Island, spotlighting a spectacular limited edition print featuring iconic GSR species.
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november 2024
In this issue, we celebrate the long-awaited launch of WA’s South Coast Marine Park, share important updates on the South-east Marine Park Draft Management Plan, and dive into research exploring cancer-fighting compounds in temperate sponges.
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October 2024
In this issue, we celebrate the launch of our new Teacher’s Guide for Ocean Literacy, share major milestones from Project Restore, and highlight recent developments in kelp restoration across Australia.
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september 2024
This month, we're offering a sneak peek into one of the Great Southern Reef’s most unique environments - Bathurst Channel. Plus and an exciting opportunity for teachers to trial some new school resources.
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august 2024
Exciting updates from from the final days of filming our urchin documentary White Rock, to the latest research, sealion mounted camera footage and insights from our GSR Research Partnership meeting in Hobart.
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july 2024
This month we are thrilled to share with you Sea Country stories, spider crab science, monitoring updates plus a sneak peek of our new documentary White Rock.
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june 2024
In this month's issue and to celebrate the arrival of the Southern Right whales, we're thrilled to announce the release of our new film, Eye to Eye.
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may 2024
In this issue, we explore some urgent challenges facing the GSR as well as highlight promising developments and opportunities to get actively involved in caring for our precious kelp forests.
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The longspined sea urchin is native to New South Wales and eastern Victoria. But in 1978 the first animal was detected in Tasmania where it has since increased dramatically in numbers. The urchin arrived in Tasmania due to changes in ocean climate and ocean current conditions, specifically an increase in strength of the East Australian Current.
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White Rock is a 45-minute documentary uncovering an overlooked impact of the climate crisis: the explosion of longspined sea urchins which are devastating Australia's kelp forests. With stunning visuals and impactful storytelling, the film captures the urgent threat to these ecosystems and presents tangible solutions to save them.
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Looking to deepen your knowledge on the rich biodiversity found in Australia's temperate reefs? This space is designed for you.
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Australian researchers are working at the global forefront of marine habitat restoration, with projects underway in every state along the Great Southern Reef. Habitat restoration is a resource intensive exercise used as a last resort for areas where vital habitats have been lost or are in decline and natural recovery is not occurring. Currently there are active restoration projects on the GSR working to restore seaweeds, seagrasses, and oyster reefs.
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Every month, we feature a creator from around the Great Southern Reef (GSR), showcasing their unique connection, creative expression, and passion for this extraordinary marine ecosystem. Through photography, art, storytelling, and film, these creators highlight the reef’s beauty, biodiversity, and the critical challenges it faces.
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What is the Great Southern Reef? What is unique about it? and how is climate change affecting it? Find out answers to these questions and more in our FAQ page.
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Associate Professor Ling has been instrumental in discovering the complex factors contributing to the urchin problem, casting new light on how climate change, predatory interactions, and ecological balance play into the crisis.
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The Great Southern Reef Research Partnership is a collaboration between universities, management agencies, and NGOs from across Australia, is taking a whole-of-system approach to safeguard the critical functions, fisheries, and biodiversity of the Great Southern Reef.
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The Great Southern Reef Foundation has partnered with Fremantle-based multidisciplinary artist Amok Island to create a stunning limited edition print, Iconic Species of the Great Southern Reef. This artwork showcases 18 unique species found along this extraordinary marine ecosystem.
