Newsletter
8 December 2025
Welcome to the December 2025 issue of The Blue Drummer, the newsletter of the National Environmental Science Program Marine and Coastal Hub.
This month we bring the gift of two short films. The first was produced as part of the hub project Unbroken Whispers – The Ripples Connecting Sea-Kin. Through evocative imagery and narration, it portrays what the ocean and cetaceans mean to Aboriginal peoples across south-eastern Australia, and how the project holds those understandings within its purpose and methods.
The second film, Checking in on Beagle Marine Park, follows scientists and crew as they monitor the health of seafloor ecosystems. It's a great snapshot of life, both on deck and amid the park's vibrant sponge gardens. Share the delight as the team comes upon a spread of snoozing Port Jackson sharks!
Hub research in the north is developing training resources for Indigenous rangers to monitor seagrasses and collect data that contributes to a broader, national picture. Drone mapping, underwater camera surveys and intertidal transect walks are being documented with rangers from Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Also in the north, hub scientists are bringing together the limited available modern scientific data on coral reefs in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria. Seven submerged reefs have been identified, five within the Gulf of Carpentaria Marine Park. The knowledge synthesis will support marine park management.
We also present our December Offshore wind farm environmental research update, and two flyers about hub shorebird research.
May you enjoy all these offerings while having a relaxing and fun festive season. We look forward to sharing more research highlights in 2026.
Alan Jordan, Marine and Coastal Hub southern node leader
Damien Burrows, Marine and Coastal Hub northern node leader
Holding the understandings shared by Sea-Kin
The ocean is not a resource. It is kin. It is ancestral. It is a living realm where obligations are felt, exchanged, and upheld.
Checking in on Beagle Marine Park
Through a screen on the back deck, they saw spectacular sponge gardens, fishes, invertebrates . . . and a shark slumber party.
A toolkit for ranger-led seagrass monitoring
Developing tools, training, and monitoring protocols that reflect local priorities, Indigenous knowledge and diverse environments.
Tantalising Gulf of Carpentaria Marine Park
The unique and culturally important reefs here present opportunities for monitoring led by Indigenous rangers.
Sharing shorebird science across the flyway
Ongoing research and strong international collaboration are key to protecting these remarkable travellers.
December Offshore wind farm environmental research update
This issue features hub activities, government happenings, sources of knowledge and complimentary figures!
Publications
- Alignment between the Renewables Environmental Research Initiative (RERI) and the National Environmental Science Program (NESP)
- Marine sampling field manual for microplastics
- A field manual for marine protected area recreational user knowledge, attitude and practice surveys
- Benthic Observation Survey System (BOSS) for surveys of marine benthic habitats – field manual
- National Indigenous Environment Research Network (NIERN): Business Case Report
- National Indigenous Environment Research Network (NIERN): Governance Advice
- National Indigenous Environment Research Network (NIERN) Summary Report
