Marine

The Albanese Labor Government has ... released the first set of National Ecosystem Accounts which will help Australians better understand the value of nature to our economy and our wellbeing. The accounts will inform the Government’s policies and decision-making processes to better measure the impacts of our actions to the environment.

Sarah Herrmann. Damage at Cape Elizabeth was the single biggest driving force behind a proposed coastal access strategy for Yorke Peninsula, Northern and Yorke Landscape Board general manager Tony Fox says.

Sarah Herrmann. Community consultation is now open on the draft Yorke Peninsula Coastal Access Strategy 2025-2035, with members of the public invited to share their feedback via a survey ... Consultation sessions have already been held with local landholders and progress associations, 4WD representatives and the tourism sector.

Serena Kirby. Five drowning tragedies along WA’s southern coastline this summer have again highlighted the ever-present danger our coastline presents. Two people lost their lives in waters off Esperance, two at Conspicuous Cliffs ... and one at Bremer Bay.

The District Council of Robe is excited to announce the successful receipt of funding through the 2024-25 Coast Protection Grant Program for two critical coastal protection initiatives: the annual Sand Replenishment Program at Hoopers Beach and Fox Beach, as well as the Fox Beach Coastal Protection Project, which includes investigations and design work to address ongoing coastal erosion.

A free app designed to make boating safer and more convenient for everyone will soon undergo a public trial in selected areas including Two Rocks and Whitfords. Marine Rescue Two Rocks is holding an open day including a sausage sizzle on Sunday, February 23 where people can learn more about the app and setting it up.

DPIRD, dated January 22, 2025, announces a $7 million splurge under the banner of “Building Climate Resilience on WA Farms.” Tucked neatly inside this generous handout is an eye-watering $1,071,770 for “future-proofing” Western Australia’s aquaculture industry. Future-proofing? Against what, exactly? Climate change? Cue the laughter.

Two Kaartdijiny Boodja events to celebrate learning from Country last month brought people together to explore the local landscape’s cultural and environmental significance.

Last summer saw the highest global Sea Surface Temperatures on record and waters in the Lord Howe Island Marine Park (LHIMP) followed this trend. When water temperatures are warmer than average, marine "heat stress" builds up over time.

Michelle Daw. A notorious rocky headland at Browns Beach in Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park has claimed another victim, with the death of a recreational angler at the weekend ... Mr Mohsini, who emigrated to Australia from Afghanistan, is the fourth person since 2019 to have died while fishing at Browns Beach.

...two new artificial reefs will be installed in the Great Sandy Marine Park in a $2.5 million project to benefit recreational boaties, fishers, snorkellers, scuba divers, kayakers. The first location, south of Bundaberg, offshore between Elliott Heads and Woodgate Beach, will provide an alternative area for recreational fishing...

With hazardous weather conditions forecast to impact parts of NSW over the coming days, including major Sydney beaches, Surf Life Saving NSW is urging the public to exercise caution when visiting the coastline.

Rachel Hagan. Local residents are up in arms after the dunes at trending Yorke Peninsula camp spot, Wauraltee Beach, were left covered in rubbish and human waste ... NSW resident Stephanie Ramirez, who was visiting Yorke Peninsula for the first time, said she saw Wauraltee Beach on social media, and her family decided they had to stop on their way to Esperance, especially before camping was banned.

Sea urchins play an important ecological role on reefs in the Lord Howe Island Marine Park (LHIMP). They graze on seaweed, and sometimes completely clear it, creating unique habitats known as ‘barrens’ which are instead covered in encrusting algae and coral.

Serena Kirby. A career as a commercial deep-sea diver is not for the faint hearted but it’s been Jason Thornton’s profession for nearly two decades. Jason works for companies that supply divers to the oil and gas industry for the construction and maintenance of underwater pipelines. He says the job is far from glamorous.

Yorke Peninsula’s fragile coastline needs protection, and a 10-year strategy is being developed to safeguard its future. The Draft Guuranda/Yorke Peninsula Coastal Access Strategy 2025-2035 is being led by the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board. NYLB general manager Tony Fox said the strategy would aim to balance sustainable coastal access for off-road vehicles, while preserving fragile ecosystems and Narungga cultural sites ...

Gus, the emperor penguin found on Ocean Beach last month, was released into the Southern Ocean on November 20 ... The care, attention and efforts of wildlife rehabilitator Carol Biddulph and her husband Graham gave the Antarctic bird, found thousands of kilometres outside of its home range and in a different climate, a fighting chance of survival.

Visiting photographers Brett Newmarch and Claire Greenwell, recently came across an unusual fish in the Lord Howe Island Marine Park (LHIMP) ... "After about 30 minutes, Brett came across an unusual looking fish hanging vertically in the water column. It was characterised by a silver body, approximately 6 cm in length, with spotted markings and appendages up to 40 cm long."

Greenpeace Australia Pacific recently visited Lord Howe Island as part of its work to protect the global ocean, where the organisation aims to protect 30 per cent of the world’s ocean by 2030. Greenpeace is seeking to do this by encouraging governments around the world to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty, to which Australia is a signatory.

Leann Spencer has lived in Evans Head for more than four years. Every morning, as the sun is coming up, she goes for a beach walk ... as the fog was lifting, she saw strange tracks in the sand ... On closer inspection, Leann discovered it was a turtle nest and there were 140 golf ball size eggs at the bottom of the large hole.

The annual whites run of WA rock lobsters into deeper waters will start earlier this year, scientists with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development are predicting. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said the number of rock lobster on the move offshore was influenced by several factors including ocean temperature.