Out of the Blue

 In 2004, the City of Barcelona built five artificial reefs by submerging around 300 concrete blocks off the coast of Barcelona. Two decades on, these artificial environments are now home to a thriving marine ecosystem. The Symphony of the Artificial Reef, a sound work by Juan Pablo Pacheco Bejarano and the Institute for Postnatural Studies, explores the encounters between these cohabiting human a...

For many of us, when we think of the history of the seas, we think of one thing: pirates. In this episode, Bise chats to maritime historian Chris Maxworthy about the Australian tradition of piracy, including women pirates and the role piracy played in imperial government. Listen now to this swashbucklin' interview! PS: Can you help us keep making Out Of The Blue? This June, we need your support fo...

 Water is an integral part of many artists' practices, from inspiration to materials and motifs, but how does water interact with art-making for those of us who live far from the ocean? On today's show, we're speaking with Emma Russell, an incredible Gamilaroi artist who shared a bit about her experiences using ochre from the local Moonee Ponds creek in both her arts practice and her teaching. Emm...

Who's the king of the high seas? Nobody. To whom does the ocean floor belong? All of us.  A playground for whales, pirates, fishing trawlers and cargo ships, the High Seas make up most of the blue planet. Yet humans spend very little time interacting with, or even thinking about them. But that's not the case for Dr Ellycia Harrould-Kolieb, expert on global ocean governance at the University of Mel...

Each winter southern Australia hosts the return of Southern Right Whales from Antarctica, who come to warmer waters to calve. These mysterious whales were hunted almost to extinction during commercial whaling, but unlike other whales, their recovery has been much slower. New research suggests it may even have stalled. To find out why, and what that means for the oceans, we speak to researcher Anne...

  On today's show we're getting knee deep in the salty sediment of mangroves with Sabrina Olsson, Research officer for the Regenerating our Coasts program. We talk about the multifaceted charms of mangroves, from crustaceans to carbon sequestration, and some of the threats and pressures on these ecosystems. We also hear what it's like to do mangrove restoration (muddy!) and some of the fandangled...

As the oceans warm, marine life is on the move. In Australia, fish and other marine species are moving beyond their usual ranges to keep pace with climate change. What does that mean for marine ecosystems? To find out, we chat to Dr Barrett Wolfe from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania, who is tracking the movement of species. Read Dr Barrett's latest rese...

Host Tessa Campisi speaks to Louise Morris, Offshore oil and gas campaigner at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, about current proposals to conduct seismic blasting off Victoria's south-west coast. They speak about the impact on marine life, the weakening of our federal environment laws, and past successes of vocal community opposition to offshore oil and gas. NOTESSign the petition agai...

When we say 'nature', what do we mean? What is conservation actually conserving? Does extinction matter? In her new book Human/Nature, author Jane Rawson asks those very questions, and more. In this episode, we get philosophical about nature. Plus, we chat to Jane about her earlier books and her fascination with cephalopods. You can catch Jane speaking with James Whitmore at The Sun Bookshop on 1...

Shipworms. Burrowing Clams. Termites of the Sea. Wait, what? On this week's show, host Tessa Campisi speaks with Cardiff-based illustrator Archie Mckenzie about these curious wood-eating molluscs. They talk about their anatomy, their lifeways, and how they have wormed their way into human history over the years. More from Archie Mckenzie (they/them)www.archillustrates.comwww.instagram.com/archillu...

South east Queensland's beaches look a bit different after Cyclone Alfred. On the Gold Coast, erosion has left small cliffs on the beach. Where has all the sand gone? And will it come back? To find out, we speak to Dr Javier Leon, sand scientist and surfer at the University of Southern Queensland. Image: Cyclone Alfred approaches Queeland. NASA Johnson.

The strange and spectacular Maugean Skate is only known to live in Macquarie Harbour on the West Coast of Tasmania, where industrial salmon aquaculture is driving low oxygen conditions which Dr Leo Guida of the Australian Marine Conservation Society describes as a "Hypoxic Time Bomb".In this episode, we talk about the challenges facing the Maugean Skate, and some of the actions and notable inactio...

In this episode, Andrew Christie interviews Associate Professor Dr Vicki Karalis and Dr Kate Robb of the Marine Mammal Foundation, who give tremendous insights into the challenges posed by jet skis. A range of topics are covered, including threats to human health (to both the general public and the riders themselves) and noise pollution and the effects on the biota, particularly around marine mamm...

A marine heatwave has been building off Western Australia's coast since September 2024, killing fish in the Pilbara and causing some coral bleaching in the Kimberley. In this episode we chat to Sina Pinter, a PhD researcher at the University of Western Australia, about what is causing the heatwave, and what we can do to reduce the impact to marine life. Image: West Australian coast. Source: Wikime...

Melbourne has a surprising number of marine mammals, right in our watery backyard. Seals and dolphins live in the bay, and even whales sometimes visit. But to help protect these animals, scientists need to know more about them. On March 1 the Marine Mammal Foundation is hosting its first Marine Mammal Bioblitz, and is asking people to come and help search for marine mammals. Jemima Beddoe, Researc...

Each November cold water upwelling off the south west coast of Victoria creates the perfect conditions for the world's biggest animals - Blue Whales. Blue Whales are endangered after they were hunted nearly to extinction during commercial whaling. Now they're slowly recovering, but they remain extremely mysterious. In this episode, we chat to Dr Pete Gill, founder of the Blue Whale Study, who has...

Australia is surrounded by a network of 60 marine parks, and scientists are still making incredible discoveries about the wildlife that live in them. A recent scientific expedition to the Beagle Marine Park in Bass Strait discovered thousands of Port Jackson Sharks - a species normally seen in shallow coastal waters - gathered on the seabed. What exactly they're doing is a mystery still to be solv...

 In this episode we chat to Jessie Coughlan, campaigner at NOFF in Tasmania, about shareholder and consumer activism against the salmon farming industry. Image: Andrea Pokrzywinski

James Bradley's new non-fiction book Deep Water is a gripping and moving account of our relationship to the seas, tracing our intimate history with the ocean and exploring the damage we're doing from pollution to fishing to climate change. You can catch James this week at the State Library of Victoria and the Port Fairy Literary Weekend.

The lovely mermaid and aquatic scientist and educator Sheree Marris chats about her new book on Octopuses, and what it was like working with these incredible animals in a wide-ranging and fun interview with Andrew Christie.

Climate change is the biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef, but other threats are making it harder for the reef to adapt to warming seas. Water quality is one of them. For over 20 years, scientists have been monitoring water quality on the reef in the effort to improve its health, and the latest scientific consensus report has just been released. To find out why water quality matters, and how...

Australia's southern coast used to be bordered by incredible oyster reefs. But now, nearly all of them are gone thanks to dredging and mining for lime. Because the reefs create such important habitat for marine life, scientists and conservationists are trying to bring them back. To do so, they need to attract baby oysters to settle on the reef. In this episode, we chat to Dr Brittany Williams from...

In this interview, Dr Allyson O'Brien (who for many years was a presenter on Out of the Blue!) covers a broad range of topics, including the influences on her career and experiences in the marine environment to marine bioloyg and ecotoxicology.

This past summer, the corals on the Great Barrier Reef were exposed to the greatest heat stress ever recorded. In March, scientists declared the reef was experiencing its fifth mass bleaching event, part of a global mass coral bleaching event. Corals can recover from bleaching, but scientists doing surveys on a reef near Lizard Island found nearly all the corals had died. To find out what that mea...

 Recently Beach Energy got the go ahead to begin producing gas from its Enterprise project off Victoria's Otway Coast, the first new gas extraction approved in a decade. At the same time, this area of the ocean is slated for some of the first offshore wind farms in Australia. What does all this mean for fighting climate change? What about the marine environment? To find out, we chat to Dr Kat Luca...