White Rock
A Hidden Crisis Gripping Australia’s Underwater Forests
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.
Taking viewers to the front lines of restoration, White Rock follows commercial divers, First Nations custodians, and chefs who are turning the sea urchin into a culinary delicacy, promoting sustainable harvesting. Through the journey of reef recovery, the film contrasts desolate barrens with thriving kelp forests—a testament to the power of human intervention in revitalising marine ecosystems.
Synopsis
collaborative sollutions
Warming oceans have enabled urchins to wreak havoc across 2,000 km of Australia's coastline - an area as big as the Great Barrier Reef.
In response, an unlikely team has formed between fishers, Traditional Owners, investors, environmentalists and scientists, to tackle the problem head-on.
White Rock highlights their innovative efforts, from urchin harvesting and creating new industries to promoting urchins as a high-end culinary delicacy. These pioneering, nature-positive solutions are helping restore ecosystems and address a crisis that threatens marine environments in Australia and across the globe.
“SOMETHING DRASTIC NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW”
Restoring balance
White Rock maps a pathway for change toward ecological sustainability and the return of Australian kelp forests.
The film presents a comprehensive strategy to address the urchin crisis through in-water urchin control, habitat rehabilitation, and support for emerging urchin industries. Traditional Owner insights, alongside contributions from leading scientists and firsthand accounts from fishers, deepen the narrative.
By showcasing the power of collaboration between industries and research sectors, White Rock provides a template for tackling climate-driven impacts in our oceans. It highlights how innovative environmental stewardship can restore marine ecosystems and promote sustainable practices for future generations.
Image: Gergo Rugli Key Voices
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Damon Gameau
Damon Gameau is renowned for his impactful documentaries that blend storytelling with actionable solutions. His notable works include "That Sugar Film" and "2040," both of which have achieved significant critical and commercial success. "2040," in particular, showcases Gameau’s visionary approach to addressing climate change by focusing on existing solutions and mobilising communities for collective action.
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Wally Stewart
Uncle Wally Stewart is a Walbunja Elder from the Yuin nation on the far south coast of NSW. Wally is heavily invested in advocating for and supporting his community and is a strong advocate for Aboriginal cultural fishing. His mob’s Sea Country – from Wollongong all the way down to Eden – have been destroyed by urchins.
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Athena Ko
Athena Ko is the visionary CEO of The Roe Australia, a renowned establishment celebrated for its innovative use of fresh sea urchin as the core ingredient in its dishes. Under Athena's leadership, The Roe has carved out a distinctive and successful niche in Melbourne’s vibrant culinary scene, offering guests a unique dining experience that combines exquisite flavours with a deep respect for the marine environment.
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Professor Maria Byrne
Professor Maria Byrne is a leading marine biologist at the University of Sydney, renowned for her extensive research on sea urchins and marine invertebrate biology. Her work focuses on the developmental biology and ecology of echinoderms, contributing significantly to our understanding of their roles in marine ecosystems.
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Dr. Scott Bennett
Dr. Scott Bennett is a co-founder of the Great Southern Reef Foundation and a senior marine ecologist at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS). Scott has dedicated his career to studying and preserving the temperate reef ecosystems of Australia and around the world. His research primarily focuses on the resilience of kelp forests to climate change.
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Dr. John Keane
Dr John Keane is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. John has 15 years of fisheries research experience, primarily focusing on urchins. He has been instrumental in bringing a National focus to addressing the Centro problem and has championed a range of applied solutions.
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Makoto Shimizu
Makoto Shimizu is the representative of Akita Sanriku Factory in Australia, a subsidiary of a renowned Japanese sea urchin processor, distributor, and exporter. With a deep-rooted connection to sea urchins since childhood, Makoto brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her role, focusing on expanding the global market for high-quality sea urchin products.
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Dave Allen
Dave Allen pioneered urchin processing under the banner of Seafoods Tasmania almost a decade ago on Tasmania’s North-East. With years of experience in the industry, Dave has honed his skills in ensuring high-quality produce while adhering to environmentally responsible practices. His dedication to sustainable fisheries contributes significantly to the local economy and the preservation of marine ecosystems.
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Shane Blackwell
Shane Blackwell is a dedicated sea urchin diver based in Tasmania. With a background in Navy clearance and offshore diving, Shane transitioned to commercial diving closer to home to spend more time with his family. Over the past five to six years, he has immersed himself in the sea urchin industry, navigating its significant challenges and opportunities.
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Gavin Hayes
Gavin Hayes is a second generation abalone diver in Mallacoota, Victoria. With over 13 years of experience in the industry, Gavin has witnessed the dramatic changes in local marine habitats, particularly due to the overgrazing of sea urchins. As a key advocate for sustainable fishing practices, he has been actively involved in the urchin culling program since its inception in 2011.
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Jayde Thoedore
Jayde Theodore is an experienced abalone and sea urchin diver based on the south coast of New South Wales. With 24 years of abalone diving under his belt, Jayde has recently expanded his focus to include sea urchin harvesting due to the declining abalone quotas caused by the overgrazing of sea urchins on vital marine habitats.
about the longspined sea urchin
The longspined sea urchin (Centrostephanus Rodgersii) or just “Centro” is an echinoderm, meaning this animal belongs to a group of marine invertebrates including sea stars and sea cucumbers which all have “spiky skin”. As its name implies, the longspined sea urchin is armed with exceptionally long, black, moveable black spines. Well protected from predators, the spines contain an irritant toxin, which is dispersed when pricked.
Urchin Barrens
Within a balanced ecosystem, the sea urchin must have predators otherwise they can be devastating to their own environments creating what is called an urchin barren, an area where the urchin population grows unchecked resulting in overgrazing of the kelp forest and a loss of biodiversity within the reef habitat. There is a hundredfold drop in primary production when ecosystems go from kelp bed to an urchin barren.
Once an urchin barren is formed, it’s basically there for good. Unlike any other herbivore on Earth when the sea urchins have eaten all the seaweed and there's nothing left, the population is able to survive and carry on living within the barren. The urchins maintain the barrens by switching their diet to feed on the microalgae on the rock, as well as picking up any drift seaweed that happens to be washing across the urchin barren. Many urchin species can even take up amino acids directly from seawater, so they have a broad suite of adaptations to survivorship.
“this feels like a huge opportunity for australia”
Damon Gameau
Impact Campaigner, Filmmaker and Narrator of White Rock
Urchin Commercial Industry
The Senate Inquiry report on Invasive marine species has called for immediate national investment into Centro control. The committee recognises the potential of this emerging fishery to provide substantial employment opportunities.
Tasmania’s commercial Urchin fishery has already made significant strides, removing approximately 500 tonnes per year – that's about 6 million urchins over the last five years! Thanks to the State Government and the Abalone industry's investment, including harvest subsidies, this emerging industry has been given a vital boost. It has created over 100 jobs and invigorated regional communities.
Ongoing research indicates that the fishery is not just halting the spread of urchin barrens but also facilitating the regeneration of kelp habitats in areas with intensive fishing. To effectively control urchin populations and aid kelp restoration, maximising the Centro fishery’s potential is crucial.
IMAS researcher John Keane envisions a strategic approach "Looking ahead, on a national scale I can see fisheries as the centrepiece of urchin control, aided by predator enhancement to increase resilience on healthy reefs, take-all harvests on high value reefs for enhanced control, and select culling on extensive barrens which unfortunately have lost all value".
Centro Task Force
The recently published Senate Inquiry report recommends that the government consider making an immediate national investment into Centro control, guided by the Centro Task Force Plan's action areas and goals.
The Centro Task Force is advocating for an immediate national investment of $55 million over the next five years. This funding is earmarked for research, monitoring, and modelling, as well as for the sustainable and cultural removal and harvesting of Centro, coupled with processing opportunities. It also calls for the development of a coordinated management approach, policy, and communication strategies to combat this urgent threat.
The Centro Task Force has developed a Business Plan to drive a unified national approach to tackling the varying challenges presented by Centro across its range.
The Centro business plan aims to protect, restore, and rehabilitate the health of the GSR, particularly in areas of ecological, economic, and cultural significance. It sets out to manage the impact of Centro on priority reef areas by implementing targeted management programs, monitoring reef recovery and preventing the formation of urchin barrens.
The plan includes four key action areas:
1) Reef Monitoring and Modelling to track changes and management outcomes
2) In-Water Centro Control and Rehabilitation Strategies to manage and restore affected areas,
3) Support for Harvesting and Processing to encourage sustainable industry practices
4) Management of Sea Country to empower Aboriginal stewardship using traditional knowledge.
Success hinges on research and development for informed management, strategic communication and community engagement for stakeholder support, a collaborative national approach involving robust partnerships across sectors, and policy development to facilitate cross-jurisdictional collaboration and effective Centro control.
Investment & partnerships
Directed by Stefan Andrews, White Rock was filmed over the winter of 2024 and is currently in late stages of post-production. This initiative supports the Great Southern Reef Foundation’s mission to enhance the reef's public profile and ensure its prosperity for future generations.
With our impact partners, we aim to tour the film through affected regions along Australia’s east coast, driving both awareness and political pressure to address the crisis.
We are actively seeking partners to join us in maximising the film’s reach through a high-impact media campaign and the creation of an educational toolkit for schools. If you're interested in hosting a film screening or facilitating a way to bring this film to your audience, then please get in touch.
For partnership opportunities please contact us at info@greatsouthernreef.com.
StefaN Andrews
DIrector
Dr. Scott Bennett
Producer
narrator
damon gameau
Minderoo Pictures
The Ian Potter Foundation
The Nature Conservancy
The Jock Clough Marine Foundation
Funding partners
