Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies - IMAS

People in parts of Papua New Guinea are facing an unusual problem. Floating volcanic rock (pumice) is making boat travel difficult, blocking access to fishing grounds and disrupting daily life in coastal communities.

The immediate concern is the disruption to fishing, water and food security, and boat transport for essential services in Manus Province.

But the disruption facing Manus communities could persist for months or even years, long after the Titan Ridge eruption itself has ended.

Read more 🌋 https://theconversation.com/floating-volcanic-rock-is-disrupting-life-in-papua-new-guinea-and-the-problem-will-last-a-long-time-285155

University of Tasmania

Floating volcanic rock is disrupting life in Papua New Guinea – and the problem will last a long time An underwater eruption has spread vast ‘rafts’ of pumice through the Bismarck Sea, hampering marine travel and wreaking uncertain long-term consequences.

As game fishers battle to reel in swordfish, little has been known about how these powerful predators behave during angling – until now.

A new study published in ICES Journal of Marine Science, conducted the first high-resolution analysis of swordfish behaviour during recreational angling.

“Swordfish are increasingly being targeted by recreational fisheries using deep-drop angling techniques in southeast Australia,” said Dr Ciara Willis, lead author and adjunct researcher at IMAS and a postdoctoral fellow at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

“People often see the dramatic end of a swordfish fight at the boat, but until now we’ve had a limited understanding of what these fish are doing underwater during capture.

“We wanted to uncover how swordfish respond to the stress of angling and identify ways anglers might reduce stress and improve post-release survival.”

🌊 Read the full story 👉 https://tinyurl.com/5bxms96c

📸 (1) Dr Ciara Willis conducted the research as part of her Postdoctoral Fellowship at IMAS and is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). Credit: Nola Schoder/University of Miami’s Shark Research and Conservation. (2) Swordfish in southeastern Australian waters. Credit: Sean Tracey. (3) Professor Sean Tracey tagging Blue Marlin as part of IFREMER Indian Ocean billfish tagging project. Credit: Sean Tracey (4) Accelerometer used to track swordfish so scientists can understand their behaviour during capture events. Credit: Sean Tracey

University of Tasmania FRDC MBARI

IMAS marine biogeochemist, Professor Philip Boyd, has been elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science 💫

He joins Australia’s most distinguished scientists, elected for research that has had a clear and lasting impact.

The fellowship recognises his research which has fundamentally advanced global understanding of the links between ocean processes, the carbon cycle and climate change.

His work is critical to improving projections of climate change and assessing the potential – and limitations – of ocean-based carbon sequestration strategies at global scales.

Congratulations, Professor Boyd! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

⭐Read more about his research here: https://tinyurl.com/bdf259md

📸 Photos by (1) Peter Mathew (2) Robert Strzepek AAPP

Australian Academy of Science University of Tasmania

Our own Professor Gretta Pecl AM has co-authored a new report with colleagues from around the world, released ahead of this week's UNFCCC SB64 meetings in Bonn.

Risks of Climate-Nature Silos: Why We Need Alignment and Integration Between Environmental Agendas examines the challenges that arise when climate, biodiversity, ocean and land issues are addressed through separate policy and governance frameworks, despite being deeply interconnected.

There is a strong marine and ocean focus, including discussion of climate-driven redistribution of marine species, fisheries adaptation, offshore renewables, blue carbon, marine protected areas and integrated ocean governance.

The report is intended to help inform discussions leading into the 2026 meetings of the three Rio Conventions – UNFCCC (climate), CBD (biodiversity) and UNCCD (desertification) and offers a chance to promote better coordination and alignment between the reporting systems and action plans of these Rio Conventions.

🌊 Read the report 👉 https://tinyurl.com/5tfcxjj4

ZSL Sea Change Australia

When most people imagine scientists discovering new species, they probably still picture an expedition into the unknown.

Today, scientists are still finding new life in remote places and hidden inside the DNA of animals we thought we already knew.

The natural world is more complex than we know. And sometimes, by the time we recognise that complexity, a species may already be in deep trouble…

Discover more 🐧 Hidden in plain sight – the race to discover new species before they’re gone: https://tinyurl.com/mrrswsbh

📸 Gentoo penguins by Ginger Kleehammer

University of Tasmania The Conversation Australia + NZ

Check out what our CAPSTAN students got up to aboard the RV Investigator! 🌊🛳️

Dark M**o is here🎴and we're getting into the spirit, with a special guest making quite a splash in our exhibition space at IMAS in Salamanca.

A giant Red Handfish, called ‘Fred’ after Frederick Henry Bay, has arrived - thanks to the , and our team for organising it!

Part celebration, part warning, this installation shines a light on a species rarely seen and found nowhere else on Earth.

A tiny fish carrying the weight of an entire ecosystem on its fins...

University of Tasmania

🦭 Endangered Antarctic fur seals don't all behave in the same way – and that matters for climate resilience.

New research demonstrates that individual seals use very different foraging strategies – from highly specialised to wide-ranging 'explorers'.

Drawing on more than a decade of data, the research suggests that diversity can buffer populations against change. But it also means climate impacts might not be felt evenly, as warming oceans disrupt key food sources like Antarctic krill.

“With Antarctic fur seals now listed as Endangered, it is more important than ever to understand how they are responding to changes in their environment across their Southern Ocean range,” said IMAS marine ecologist Dr Noémie Friscourt, who led the study.

🤿 Dive in to discover more: https://tinyurl.com/4pbphh6m

📸 Antarctic fur seals - Credit (1) Mary-Anne Lea (2 & 3) Chris Oosthuizen

University of Tasmania

There are encouraging signs for the endangered Maugean skate, with a new monitoring report finding that a new cohort of skates born in Macquarie Harbour has reached adulthood.

Researchers from the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) have released the 2025 Macquarie Harbour Maugean skate population status and monitoring report, aimed at assessing trends in the species’ relative abundance across years and informing future conservation efforts.

“Monitoring of the Maugean skate population in Macquarie Harbour is critical to ensure the most contemporary information is available,” said Dr Bailee Woolley, a Maugean skate biologist and ecologist at IMAS.

As previously reported, relative abundance declined significantly between 2014 and 2022.

After a gap of several years between monitoring the skate population in Macquarie Harbour, systematic population monitoring recommenced in 2021.

Since 2023, relative abundance has increased and is now more similar to levels estimated for 2014.

Along with higher relative abundance, the 2025 survey marks the first-year scientists could detect individual skates born during the monitoring period reaching adulthood – an essential step for recovery.

🌊 Read the full story 👉 https://tinyurl.com/ffsu5zzr

📸 (1) IMAS researcher, Dr Bailee Woolley, with a Maugean skate in Macquarie Harbour. Photo: Mark Priest. (2) Maugean skate in Macquarie Harbour. Credit: Jane Ruckert (3) IMAS staff using netting during Maugean skate fieldwork in Macquarie Harbour. Photo: Jayson Semmens IMAS. (4) Macquarie Harbour. Credit: Jayson Semmens IMAS