Out of the Blue
Science & Ideas
About
Information about marine and coastal environments. News and interviews with marine scientists, campaigners and conservation workers. Presented by volunteer broadcasters who are passionate about marine environments, both local and across the world.
Episodes
- Fish nesting and parental care, with Professor Bob Wong
Professor Bob Wong joins Out of the Blue to discuss the diverse nest-building behaviors and parental care exhibited by fish, highlighting examples like seaweed nests and bubble nests.
- On Shark Attacks
This episode of Out of the Blue features a discussion on the recent increase in shark attacks in New South Wales and offers tips for personal safety.
- AM I NOT YOUR TŪ/AKOI? Theology and the geopolitics of climate change in Tuvalu
On Out of the Blue, Tessa interviews Dr Maina Talia, Tuvalu
- Coral conspiracy: marine science and misinformation
In this episode of Out of the Blue, Dr. Gabi Mocatta discusses how scientific findings about increased coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef were unintentionally used to support climate denial in news media.
- Jellyfish in Port Phillip Bay
This episode of Out of the Blue features a discussion on the jellyfish recently observed in Port Phillip Bay, such as bluebottles and lion's mane jellyfish, with advice on sting prevention and first aid. It includes a tribute to the late r…
- Queer history of the seas with Dr Graham Willett
From European invasion to convict transportation to World War II, Australia's history is a history of the seas. It's a queer history too - from Edward De Lacy Evans to Matthew Flinders, Australia's maritime history is filled with a cast of…
- The strategy behind the blockade of Australia's largest coal port
Climate action group "Rising Tide" has been making waves in the media after successfully turning around 3 coal ships and shutting down operations in the Port of Newcastle, Australia's largest coal port, through non-violent direct action.Te…
- All about frogs and caring for Darebin Creek!
Therese from Darebin Creek Management Committee joined us to chat about the frogs living along Darebin Creek and how volunteers can help monitor frog populations and care for the Creek.Links:https://dcmc.org.au/info@dcmc.org.auhttps://www.…
- Scientific detectives on the hunt for the cause of South Australia's devastating algal bloom
Since March 2025, marine life in South Australia's seas has been devastated by an ongoing harmful algal bloom.But algae are a normal and important part of marine ecosystems - so why have they turned killer? To find out, scientists are raci…
- Out of the Blue 19 October 2025 Logan Chandler podcast
In this episode, Andrew Christie interviews Logan Chandler, a student at the University of Melbourne whose interests lie in marine science and science communications. The wide-ranging discussion ranged from childhood influences that helped…
- Migratory Shorebird Conservation with Richard Fuller
Over the warmer months, Australia becomes home to 37 species of migratory shorebirds which regularly visit our shores. Among them is the black tailed godwit, which was listed as endangered in July, showing a population decline of almost 80…
- Brian Robinson on growing up on Waiben (Thursday Island) and his new exhibition Ur Wayii (Incoming Tide)
Brian Robinson joined us on Out of the Blue to chat about his new exhibition, Ur Wayii (Incoming Tide), currently showing at the Australian National Maritime Museum. Born on Waiben (Thursday Island) and now based in Cairns, Brian is of the…
- Parks Victoria’s Michael Sams on “Closer to Nature” discussing sea urchins
In this episode, Andrew Christie introduces a podcast that has been produced from Parks Victoria called “Closer to Nature.” This is an edited extract of Episode 4, which is entitled “Species behaving badly,” and features a very interesting…
- The campaign to protect The Crystals, with Dr Sandy Webb
Did you know that you can swim with seahorses, octopus and fiddler rays, less than 10km from Melbourne CBD? Host Tessa Campisi speaks with Jawbone Marine Sanctuary Committee member Dr Sandy Webb about the grassroots campaign to extend prot…
- How do we become more ocean literate?
Most people living in Australia live near the coast, but many of us who don't work in marine science can be disconnected from what's happening in the ocean and our role in protecting it.That's why there's a growing body of research, advoca…
- Fishers' knowledge is the key to reducing bycatch
Bycatch is a big problem for ocean life, causing the deaths of thousands of marine animals. Reducing the number of animals caught accidentally is key to caring for the sea.New research shows that some fishers are very good at minimising by…
- Talking cuttlefish with Zandy Beer
In this episode, Andrew Christie interviews Zandy Beer of Marine Care Point Cooke on an exciting trip to Whyalla in South Australia for the annual cuttlefish migration.
- Ecology, Art, and Soup: Seaweed Foraging with Chris Rockley
Have you ever seen a hunk of seaweed and been compelled to have a lil nibble?This week, scientific illustrator and nature tutor Chris Rockley takes us seaweed foraging on the coast in Portland, on Gundijtimaara Country. We talk about the e…
- How can we re-imagine water beyond borders?
In Cyprus, water has been shaped by partition and postcolonial state-building, turning it into something divided. But through collective imagination, water can also be seen as a shared commons.In his research Decommonisation of Water in Di…
- The latest on the algal bloom that is decimating South Australia's marine life
Since January 2025, a marine heatwave has triggered a devastating algal bloom in South Australia, and there's no relief in sight for marine life. Thousands of dead animals have washed ashore on beaches over the past six months. Scientists…
- Sea shanties old and new with the Southern Ocean Sea Band
From hauling ropes and sails, to emmigration and endentured labour, sea shanties have been sung by sea faring people all over the world, and offer glimpse of the world that came before the one we know today. Tessa Campisi speaks to Gus Fra…
- Symphony of the Artificial Reef - What listening to water tells us about our relationships with nature
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 A…
- Shiver me timbers! Australia's wild history of piracy
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 pirac…
- Emma Russell on ochre and the Moonee Ponds Creek
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…
- Governance of the High Seas and Deep Sea Mining
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 in…
- Why aren't Southern Right Whales recovering after whaling stopped?
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, thei…
- Oh man, how good are mangroves?
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 sequest…
- Fish are moving south to keep up with climate change - and this scientist is keeping track of them
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…
- A Seismic Shift
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…
- Ocean book club: Jane Rawson on her new book Human/Nature
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 natu…
- All About Shipworms
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 lifew…
- The wash-up on Cyclone Alfred with a surfing sand scientist
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 sci…
- No Reprieve for the Endangered Maugean Skate
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 Conservati…
- Jet skis with Vicki Karalis and Kate Robb
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…
- A marine heatwave is spreading down the coast of Western Australia. Here's what that means for marine life
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 Universi…
- Can you help scientists spot whales and dolphins in Port Phillip Bay?
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 world's biggest animals will soon be paying a visit to Victoria
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…
- Thousands of sharks are gathering on the sea floor under Bass Strait
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 thousan…
- Taking the fight against salmon farming to the supermarkets
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
- Ocean book club: Deep Water by James Bradley
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.…
- Sheree Marris on Octopuses!
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.
- We won't be able to protect the Great Barrier Reef unless we fix water quality
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…
- Scientists are playing ocean sounds to baby oysters
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 conserva…
- Interview with Dr Allyson O'Brien
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 ecotoxico…
- Nearly all the corals on this reef have died — here's what that means for marine life
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 ev…
- First new gas extraction from Victoria's seas in a decade
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 fir…
- Endangered sharks are being sold as flake
One in ten of Australia's sharks and rays are at risk of extinction, and globally shark populations are declining. The biggest reason: people eating them.In this episode, we chat to two shark experts about what we need to do to ensure shar…
- The extraordinary effort to save one of the world's rarest fish
Red Handfish are one of the rarest fish in the world, with only about one hundred individuals left in the wild, living on two tiny reefs in south ast Tasmania.This summer, as a marine heatwave bore down on these critically endangered fish,…
- It's here, it's queer, it's the ocean!
Sea creatures might seem to lead very strange lives compared to our own. But maybe we're just as weird. In their new book, US writer and journalist Sabrina Imbler fuses science and memoir to compare the lives of sea creatures to their own.…
- Tasmania's oceans are heating up - here's how the Aboriginal community is protecting Sea Country
Marine heatwaves this summer have struck the waters around eastern Australia, particularly around Tasmania, the Sea Country of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community. In this episode we chat to pakana Sea Country Ranger Fiona Maher and Sea Cou…