Interactive Q&A platform connects the seafood community with climate change experts.

Sea Change Australia is a new national initiative bringing fishers, aquaculture producers, industry, managers, and researchers together to facilitate knowledge exchange and co-develop climate-resilient options for strong and healthy fisheries and aquaculture sectors in Australia.

Climate change is a growing threat—and stakeholders in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors need tailored information, practical tools, and a space to share what’s working (and what’s not). Through two-way conversations, story-sharing, and on-the-ground collaboration with selected fisheries and aquaculture operations, Sea Change Australia is identifying what’s working, where the barriers are, and how to scale up adaptation across Australia.

It’s about strengthening the agility of our fisheries and aquaculture sectors to adapt to climate change and creating and testing a model that might also be useful in other places, or in other contexts (i.e. fisheries and aquaculture in other regions, or a land-based agriculture sector, for example).

Sea Change Australia is building a nationwide network to:

Key Features Now Live

Fishing for Climate Answers – Q&A Platform: https://seachangeaustralia.org/qa-platform/

• Stakeholders (e.g. fishers, industry professionals, managers, and researchers) can submit climate-related questions, and our system connects them to registered experts.
• Experts (e.g. scientists and seasoned practitioners) can register directly and create a profile in our portal.
• Registering doesn’t commit you to answering — you’ll simply get notified when a question aligns with your expertise and can choose to respond or not.

Sea Change Australia initiative is endorsed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development under the FishSCORE2030 program.

Our website and social media channels are now live!

Follow along – here’s where you can find us:

Congratulations to Dr Malcolm Johnson and his team of HDR students who workshopped a real-world problem in the CMS Interdisciplinary School 2025 earlier in the year, and who have now been listed as finalists in The Disaster Challenge 2025!

Three innovative, forward-thinking teams’ ideas to make Australia safer and more resilient to natural hazards were announced as finalists for the 2025 Disaster Challenge today. 

The project: 'Thriving coastal futures in southern Tasmania'

Team: Dr Malcolm S. Johnson (Huon Valley Council/CMS), Bianca Suarez (Australian National University), Edith Shum (University of Tasmania/CMS), Kianna Gallagher (University of Tasmania/CMS), Hevi Kurnia Hardini (Australian Maritime College/CMS), Rosie Katunar (Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania)

Malcolm applied for some seed funding during the CMS pitch funding session earlier this year to be able to get the team of students to put their ideas into actions.

What’s next?

Over the next three months, the three team finalists will receive mentoring and support from Natural Hazards Research Australia and its network of universities and emergency management organisations to further develop their ideas and refine their presentation skills.

These finalist concepts will be showcased at the Disaster Challenge final in Hobart, Tasmania on 14 October 2025 to mark the UN International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Disaster Challenge final is a public event — stay tuned to Natural Hazards Research Australia’s website

CMS Director Prof Gretta Pecl presented during a public panel session at AMSA 2025 conference in Melbourne (July 2025), called "Why Oceans Matter". The session was recorded and broadcast by RRR.

Listen here: https://www.rrr.org.au/shared/broadcast-episode/34716/1603000/3600000

CMS Director Prof Gretta Pecl and CMS member Dr Olivia Dove recently featured in a COSMOS Magazine article about eco-distress, and how climate change is affecting scientists' mental health.

You can access the online version at this link - https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/social-sciences/great-barrier-grief-scientists-face-mental-health-battle/

Or download a copy of the print version here – https://denisecullen.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Great-Barrier-Grief-Cosmos-issue-107-June-2025.pdf

CMS Director Prof Gretta Pecl and CMS member Dr Scott Bennett were recently featured in a news article by Yahoo News, about the current algal bloom that started in South Australia.

They warn that the algal bloom in South Australia is not an isolated event, but part of a broader problem impacting the entire nation.

Read the article here: https://au.news.yahoo.com/warning-nowhere-is-safe-as-australias-500km-toxic-problem-spreads-060002232.html

This news article discusses CMS student Andrew Sullivan's PhD research, investigating how the international High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy is influencing Australian marine management.

Read the article here: https://www.frdc.com.au/novel-governance-changing-ocean

Ocean literacy is an understanding of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean – and it empowers communities to communicate meaningfully about the ocean and make informed decisions about the ocean and its resources.

This need for ocean literacy is increasing in Australia and abroad as our oceans are changing, and researchers are calling for a national strategy to safeguard the ocean and its ecosystems.

In a study published in Oceans and Society researchers from University of Tasmania’s Centre for Marine Socioecology (CMS) and Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), with colleagues from across Australia, outline a roadmap to advance ocean literacy for ocean sustainability.

Read more from the UTAS News Room here: Creating connections: ocean literacy for ocean sustainability | University of Tasmania

Read the article here:

Kelly R, Francis P, Shellock RJ, Andrews S, Arthur B, Birkmanis CA, Breidahl H, Buxton L, Chambers J, Church E, Condie C, Croft F, Freitas C, Hurley S, Jateff E, Le Busque B, Marshall J, O’Brien A, Pecl GT, Torre-Williams L, Volzke S & Waters Y (2025). Ocean Literacy for Ocean Sustainability: Reflections From Australia. Ocean and Society, 2. https://doi.org/10.17645/oas.9797

CMS Director Prof Gretta Pecl recently co-authored a correspondence published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, titled "Six actions for ecologists in times of planetary crisis".

As the title suggests, the article calls on the ecological community to consider six actions that could drive meaningful change.

Read the article here:

Pettorelli N, Gaston KJ, Barlow J, Araujo MB, Bustamante M, Chown SL, Diele-Viegas LM, Laurance WF, Lees AC, Melo FPL, Milner-Gulland EJ, Pecl GT & Sousa-Pinto I (2025). Six actions for ecologists in times of planetary crisis. Nature Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02759-8

CMS Member Dean Greeno recently wrote an article for Garland Magazine titled “A Driftwood Testament”, about his life, artwork, and continuing his ancestor’s practice of using dead trees as memorials.

Excerpt: “In ancient times, our ancestors would place the dead in hollow trees, covering them so their essences could merge with the tree and pass on knowledge and spirit. Sculpting with driftwood, in a way, is an extension of that practice. Pieces of trees that have grown, lived, and died travel through the rivers, creeks, and oceans. When I gather these pieces, I am continuing the story they began. But to do so takes a trained eye.”

Dean recently won the Telstra NATSIAA People’s Choice Award for his artwork “tunapri milaythina muka, to know Sea Country through making”

Article link: https://garlandmag.com/article/the-driftwood-story/

Each year the Australian Marine Sciences Association proudly presents awards to individuals recognising outstanding contributions to marine science in Australia.

Mibu Fischer, won the AMSA 2025 Melissa George Excellence in Sea Country Award, which recognises the outstanding contribution or leadership potential of an Indigenous marine scientist, ranger, communicator, or educator to the advancement of marine science and knowledge in Australia.

Dr Scott Bennett, won the AMSA 2025 Emerging Leader in Marine Science Award, in recognition of their outstanding research and academic achievements in marine science and the translation of their research for engagement outside of academia and mentoring of other young scientists.

Read more here: https://www.amsa.asn.au/amsa-home/awards/