Marine scientist Dr Alex Schnell says we’re living through a revolution in how we understand animal minds. For much of modern science, questions about emotions or awareness in animals were dismissed as too unscientific, too human-centred. But new research is turning that view on its head. Studies show that many creatures, including octopuses, might have complex memories, be able to solve puzzles and even dream.

“We’re in a modern Copernican revolution,” Schnell explains, one that challenges the old idea that humans are the only conscious beings.

Philosopher and diver Peter Godfrey-Smith offers another perspective. Humans and octopuses last shared a common ancestor around 600 million years ago, long before vertebrates even existed. Their intelligence evolved entirely separately from ours: a second experiment in consciousness. That’s what makes them so fascinating: they show that the mind can emerge in forms completely unlike our own.

Unlike us, octopuses don’t keep their thinking neatly tucked inside their heads. Two-thirds of their neurons are in their arms, which can touch, taste, and explore independently. It’s not a brain controlling a body: it’s a body that thinks.

Underwater filmmaker Adam Geiger has experienced this intelligence up close. During one dive, he came across an octopus entangled with a fishing hook. Instead of fleeing, it seemed to recognise he was trying to help, staying calm as he carefully removed it. For Geiger, that moment was unforgettable and proof that curiosity and trust flow both ways.

LISTEN TO THEIR CONVERSATION

Stories like these remind us why the octopus has become such a powerful symbol for ocean conservation. When we recognise the sentience and individuality in other beings, we start to care more deeply about their world and our shared role in protecting it.

As Schnell puts it, empathy leads to action. Understanding the inner lives of creatures like the octopus doesn’t just expand our knowledge; it strengthens our bond with the ocean.

The octopus may have evolved along an entirely different path, but its intelligence and curiosity reflect something universal. By diving into their world, we’re invited to rediscover our connection to nature and our responsibility to protect it.

🌊 Dive In to more inspiring ocean stories and conversations on the Ocean Lovers Podcast: Ocean Ideas, where science, art, and storytelling meet to celebrate our blue planet.

Meet the Ocean Change-Makers

Duncan Heuer, underwater photographer, diver, and President of the Underwater Research Group of NSW, is one of the many ocean advocates leading this people-powered movement. He’s also the co-founder of the Saving Norman Project, a community campaign raising awareness about shark conservation and the impacts of shark meshing.

Alongside him are inspiring changemakers like Andy Ridley, CEO and Co-founder of Citizens of the Reef and the visionary behind Earth Hour; Sarah Han de Beaux, marine advocate, co-founder of Saving Norman and manager of the Spot a Shark program; and Thomas Mesaglio, a naturalist, botanist, and iNaturalist administrator helping everyday people contribute to global biodiversity data.

Together, they’re showing how collective curiosity and technology can transform ocean conservation.

Listen to their conversation

Grey nurse shark via spotashark.com

How Citizen Science is Saving Sharks and Reefs

Projects like Spot a Shark invite divers and snorkelers to upload photos of the critically endangered grey nurse shark. Each shark has a unique pattern of spots, like a fingerprint, allowing AI software to identify and track individuals building a vital picture of population size, movements, and behaviour.

“It’s completely non-invasive,” explains Sarah. “Anyone can help. Just upload your photos, no tagging, no lab coats required. We even give each shark a name and personality because you’re more likely to protect something you feel connected to.”

Meanwhile, Citizens of the Reef uses similar technology to map the Great Barrier Reef’s most critical “mother reefs” - the ones that regenerate others through coral spawning. “The Reef is the size of Germany,” says Andy. “We needed eyes and lenses everywhere. That’s where citizens come in.”

Through crowdsourced imagery and AI analysis, volunteers around the world are helping scientists pinpoint key reefs for protection , even from their phones. “You can literally do it on the bus,” Andy adds. Scroll less, save more reefs.

Every Photo Counts. Even the Ones Gathering “Digital Dust”

Thomas Mesaglio reminds us that simple curiosity and a smartphone camera can make a real difference. Platforms like iNaturalist allow anyone to upload photos of marine life, contributing to genuine scientific discovery.

“You never know what you’ve captured,” he says, explaining how divers photos of seahorses uploaded to the iNaturalist, revealed a marine worm unseen for 70 years - just hiding in the background of the photos!

His advice? “Don’t let your photos grow digital dust. Upload them.” - You might be documenting the next new discovery!

Small Actions, Big Impact

From joining a local dive survey to uploading a sea slug photo, the message is clear: everyone can help. You don’t need a PhD, just passion and curiosity.

Even sharing awareness, attending a workshop, or volunteering at a beach clean contributes to the bigger picture of ocean health. As Sarah says, “Don’t assume someone else is doing it. Every observation, every action, every photo matters.”

How You Can Dive In

Want to get involved? Here are a few easy ways:
🌊 Join a citizen science project like Spot a Shark, Sea Slug Census, or iNaturalist.
📸 Share your photos: every image could hold unseen data.
🤝 Join the Sydney Coast Hope Spot Marine Bioblitz and Volunteer locally.
💻 Analyse images online for projects like Citizens of the Reef, even from your couch.
💙 Spread the word: awareness and community love for our oceans are powerful tools for change.

So next time you’re by the sea, camera in hand, or scrolling your phone, remember: the ocean doesn’t just need scientists. It needs citizens like you.

Her insights and research brings us the fascinating story of the Ocean’s Oxygen Crisis.

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The Ocean’s Oxygen Crisis: Why We’re Running Out of Breath

It might sound alarmist and extreme, and it is. The Ocean’s Oxygen Crisis is one of the most serious but least understood threats facing our planet. The good news is that we still have time to act if we start to recognise the issue and understand the solutions.

We’ve Overshot the Fertilisation of the Oceans

The simple story is that we’ve overshot the fertilisation of our oceans, and that is leading to deoxygenation.

Every time we flush a toilet in the morning, some nitrogen goes out to sea. Every time we fertilise sugar cane fields in Queensland, nitrogen flows out to the Barrier Reef. Every time we water our rose gardens with fertilisers, that ends up in the coastline.

We’ve actually doubled nitrogen fertilisation of coastal zones all around the world. The ocean simply can’t absorb that much nitrogen.

When this happens, it grows algal blooms we don’t want. These blooms create a lot of biomass that sinks, rots, and in the process, sucks oxygen out of the water.

This nitrogen elevation is leading to oxygen depression at such a scale that an estimated 2% of the oceans are now deoxygenated.

There are 500 dead zones around the world. In the Gulf of Mexico, for example, there is no oxygen below a metre. There’s nothing there. And these zones are increasing. Since the 1960s, we’ve seen 400 times the number of deoxygenated zones, and by 2050, 10% of the oceans are expected to be deoxygenated.

Why It Matters

We’ve all heard how seaweeds and algae create a lot of the oxygen we breathe, and they do. But if we’re creating so much biomass that the ocean systems can’t handle it, we start to end up with a deoxygenation scenario.

It’s even beginning to affect the atmosphere.

If we keep going at this rate, and this might sound extreme, in about 3,000 years there won’t be enough oxygen in the atmosphere for us to breathe. That means the human race would disappear without oxygen. It may seem like a long time, but in the scale of history, it isn’t.

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Turning It Around

The way to turn this around is to decrease the amount of nitrogen going into the coastal zone. That will allow oxygen to return.

We need the right balance of photosynthesis, and now we need to accelerate it beyond what the coastal zones can tackle.

That’s the goal behind producing foods that catch nitrogen at the coastline and turn it into protein. These foods protect the coastal zone from excess nitrogen and allow it to keep breathing and stay balanced.

Seaweed plays a big role in this. Seaweed pools pump out masses of oxygen. If you’re standing over one, you’re breathing in air that’s 150% saturated with oxygen.

We need to start turning this around by simply being aware of it. Everyone talks about climate change and global warming and the need to cool the planet. But if we just block the sun and cool the planet, we haven’t addressed the core issue: the imbalance in nitrogen, oxygen, land use for food production, and other connected factors.

We have to start working with the system, stopping nitrogen at the border, putting it back into the food system, and allowing oxygen to flourish again in coastal zones.

What Needs to Change

We can’t see nitrogen hitting the coastline. It’s invisible, like an unseen sandstorm. It’s not surprising that we aren’t aware of it because most people aren’t reading scientific papers about biogeochemical cycles.

But we can spread the word that there are things we can do to start rebalancing.

It starts with eating seaweeds and other coastal foods that take back nitrogen and regenerate it into the food chain, without pouring on more fertiliser. This is the essence of regeneration: re-oxygenating the planet, reducing nitrogen, and cutting land and freshwater use for food production.

So go home and add a bit of seaweed to your diet.

Brought to you by Ocean Lovers Festival, Sydney’s largest celebration for the Ocean in March every year.

Join the Movement

Lisa’s story is one of extraordinary adventure, resilience, and action for our planet. She didn’t grow up on boats and only discovered sailing at 25. But once she set foot on the open ocean, she never looked back. That passion carried her around the globe and into the heart of the Southern Ocean, where she came face to face with a problem bigger than any storm: plastic pollution.

“I looked out across the horizon and there, closer to Antarctica than any landmass, was a styrofoam box. Later, we sailed through seas so full of plastic we had to push debris out of the way just to keep going.”

That moment changed everything. Lisa realised that adventure alone wasn’t enough. She wanted her sailing to stand for something bigger. Out of that conviction came Climate Action Now, a campaign inviting communities to pledge simple, everyday actions for a healthier planet. Each pledge, written on a Post-it note, was transformed into the design on her boat, literally wrapping her record-breaking voyages in thousands of climate commitments from people around the world.

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In 2017, Lisa became the first woman to sail solo around Antarctica with one stop, after dismasting in a storm and narrowly surviving a night of hypothermia. Five years later, she returned to the same treacherous waters, determined not only to finish what she started but also to use her boat as a platform for science.

On that voyage, she set the record as the fastest person in the world to sail around Antarctica and carried out the largest microplastics survey ever conducted in the Southern Ocean, a project endorsed by the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science.

Her findings were sobering: plastic in every single sample, most of it microfibres from clothing and tyres, reminding us that ocean pollution begins in our everyday choices.

But Lisa’s message isn’t one of despair. It is one of action. She challenges us to look at our own influence and ask: What can I do? Because when billions of small actions come together, the impact is enormous.

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For Lisa, it is not about being “the girl who sails around the world.” It is about using her platform to amplify science, inspire action, and remind us all that the ocean’s future is in our hands.

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In a recent talk at the Ocean Lovers Festival in Bondi, Sydney - Bradley shared the genesis of Deep Water, explaining how his personal connection to surfing and swimming offered a profound sense of "the planet's rhythms" and an "immensity" that transcends our everyday scale of time and space. This "oceanic feeling," a concept even explored by Freud as the origin of religious sentiment, is not just a spiritual experience; fascinating science suggests the brain states induced by ocean encounters are similar to those brought on by psychedelics, pointing to a "profound connection largeness".

The Ocean: The Cradle of Life and Architect of Connection

Bradley emphasizes that the ocean isn't just a vast body of water; it's the very foundation of life on Earth. Every living thing on this planet originated from a "moment of Genesis" in the ocean billions of years ago. This isn't a mere platitude; it means we are all "connected to every other living thing on the planet" through our genetic code, tracing back to that primordial watery beginning.

This deep connectivity isn't just historical; it's ongoing and profound. The ocean showcases incredible models of interconnectedness through:

Animal Migrations: Fish, whales, and even insects (like butterflies and grasshoppers flying between continents) undertake enormous journeys across the ocean.

The Diel Vertical Migration: This daily event is "the largest movement of life on the planet," as billions of creatures ascend from the deep at night to feed and then return to the dark. This massive migration helps drive the carbon cycle by absorbing carbon and carrying it to deep water, and remarkably, it's also believed to drive ocean circulation more than the wind.

The Ocean as a Living Archive of Human History

Beyond biology, the ocean holds our collective human story. Bradley highlights how the spread of humanity across the globe was fundamentally "ship borne":

Early human migration out of Africa, into Australia, the Pacific, and the Americas (following the "kelp road" about 20,000 years ago) all took place across the ocean.

From the 15th century onward, European expansion and colonialism were inherently "ship borne phenomena," leading to the origins of destructive economic models based on plantations and extraction.

The ocean gave rise to modern capitalism, including the corporation, systems of insurance, and the empires that shaped our world.

Even the "toxic racism" that permeates societies today is linked to the "ship borne phenomenon" of slavery.

Today, the global economy remains utterly dependent on the ocean with 90% of all goods you interact with having travelled on a ship at some point. This amounts to "11 billion tons of goods around the world every year," with 40% of that being fossil fuels that fuel our current economic model.

The Ocean: Our Future's Bellwether and Beacon of Hope

The ocean doesn't just contain our past; it "contains our future in a really powerful kind of way". A staggering 90% of the extra heat humanity has pumped into the planet over the last 50 years has ended up in the ocean. To put this in perspective, in 2022 alone, the ocean absorbed an equivalent of "five Hiroshimas' worth of energy every second of every minute, of every hour, of every day that year". This immense energy absorption is directly driving the rising temperatures and shifting currents that define our climate crisis.

Yet, Bradley's Deep Water is not just a warning; it also offers hope. The ocean provides "models of international cooperation" and alternative ways to "reorganize our economies". It fosters a perspective of interconnectedness – from James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis, seeing Earth as a living whole, to the "overview effect" experienced by astronauts who witness our "one living thing" planet from space. As Bradley poignantly notes, this truth of interconnectedness has long been recognized by indigenous peoples globally. He evokes the Roman geographer Po Pius Mailer's beautiful description of tides as "the breath of the world breathing," inviting us to reframe our understanding and seek "new ethical solutions".

Making the Invisible Visible: Why the Deep Ocean Matters

One of the central challenges Bradley addresses is the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality we often have towards the ocean. We treat it as a "blank space" for dumping and overlook the invisible impacts of shipping, fishing, and emerging threats like deep-sea mining.

Bradley argues that recognizing the profound "interconnectedness" of the ocean, especially the deep ocean, is crucial. The deep ocean, which constitutes about 90% of the planet's inhabitable biosphere, is "profoundly connected to us," playing a vital role in the carbon cycle and global weather systems through the movement of water. Understanding this connection helps us see that the deep is not just "weird and strange," but integral to our existence.

About Deep Water

Deep Water is described as a "major achievement", an "ambitious, far reaching work" weaving together science, history, personal experience, nature writing, and environmentalism. Critics laud Bradley's "bracing moral gaze", presenting a view of the world that is "poetic, scientifically detailed and clear to the layman all at once".

The book is a winner of the NSW Literary Award for Non Fiction and a 2025 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Winner, plus being shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards.

Deep Water is more than a book; it's a "galvanizing call to action", a "powerful plea for us to stop treating the ocean as the earth's dump", and ultimately, a "beacon of warning while shining a bright light of hope on our underwater world".

About the Author: James Bradley is a distinguished Australian writer and critic. Beyond Deep Water, his works include novels like Wrack and Clade, and a book of poetry, Paper Nautilus. His essays and articles frequently appear in prominent publications like The Guardian and The Monthly. He is a recipient of the Pascall Prize for Australia’s Critic of the Year and has been nominated for a Walkley Award.

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Now consider this: Earth has self-regulated for billions of years - balancing oxygen levels, salinity, temperature, and life itself. But in just a few centuries, human activity has pushed that balance to the brink. At Ocean Lovers Festival, systems thinker and founder of The GAIA Imperative, Mark Rowland, shared a compelling call to action rooted in science, history, and hope.

Here’s a recap of his powerful talk - and why it matters more than ever.

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A Brief History of Earth 

Mark began by taking us back - way back - to the origins of the planet. Earth formed 4.7 billion years ago, a molten sphere bombarded by asteroids. One of them gave us the Moon. As the planet cooled, volcanic eruptions released vapor, forming the oceans. Life emerged in the oceans 3 billion years ago, led by cyanobacteria that transformed carbon dioxide into oxygen - triggering the Great Oxygenation Event and paving the way for multicellular life.

For 600 million years, Earth’s atmosphere remained remarkably stable. Oxygen, nitrogen, and CO₂ levels maintained balance, supporting life’s evolution. The planet operated in a state of homeostasis.

That is, until us.

Meet GAIA: Earth as a Self-Regulating System

In the late 1960s, scientist and inventor James Lovelock proposed something radical: Earth behaves like a living organism. His GAIA Hypothesis suggested that life itself helps regulate the planet’s system - like a feedback loop between oceans, atmosphere, geology, and biology.

Initially dismissed as pseudoscience, GAIA is now recognised as a foundational systems theory in planetary science. It’s a framework that helps us understand not just what Earth is - but how it stays alive.

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Humanity’s Disruption

Fast forward to today: 8 billion humans, 430 parts per million CO₂ (a record high in the last million years), and a deeply unbalanced system.

One statistic stunned the audience:

‘96% of all animal biomass on Earth now consists of humans and domesticated animals. Just 4% remains wild.’

This staggering shift reflects not only how dominant humanity has become, but also how disconnected we are from nature - and from each other.

Seven Imperatives for Planetary Health

Mark offered seven “GAIA Imperatives” - actionable shifts that humanity must adopt to restore balance:

1. Redefine Success: Move beyond GDP as our sole metric. Economic growth without ecological and social well-being is meaningless.

2. Price Things Properly: Include ecological and social costs in everything we buy, from flights to food. The true cost of carbon must be reflected.

3. Rebuild Community & Share: From borrowing lawnmowers to global cooperation - shared resources reduce waste and increase resilience.

4. Recognise We Are Nature: Humans are not above nature. We are nature. Seeing ourselves as separate has led to exploitation and imbalance.

5. Decarbonise & Remove Emissions: We must not only reduce greenhouse gases but actively remove existing CO₂ from the atmosphere.

6. Adapt to a Changing Climate: Innovation and infrastructure must now serve resilience - drought-tolerant crops, flood defences, and more.

7. Prepare for Geo-engineering (Cautiously): From sulfur aerosols to solar shades, we must research potential last-resort tools before it's too late - but tread carefully.

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What Is Geo-engineering, Anyway?

In the Q&A, Mark elaborated on the high-stakes world of geo-engineering - man-made interventions to cool the planet. While some, like solar shades in space, may be reversible, others (like injecting sulfur into the atmosphere) could have unpredictable, irreversible consequences.

His message: Let’s not count on geoengineering to save us - but let’s be ready, just in case.

So, What Can You Do?

Mark left us with a clear and empowering ask:

Pick one imperative. Take one action. Share it. Repeat. Change doesn’t begin with a global treaty. It begins with informed, inspired individuals.

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“The time for action is now. And once you act - share it. That ripple effect is unstoppable.” - Mark Rowland

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Mark Rowland is a systems thinker from GAIA Imperative. Empowering collaboration across human, energy, economic, and technology systems to regenerate our planet for nature and humanity.

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The panel featured:

• Dr. Vanessa Pirotta – Marine scientist & science communicator

• Dr. Jodi Edwards – Walbanga woman, cultural educator & storyteller

• Dr. Olaf Meynecke – Whale researcher & program leader, Humpback Whale Migration Program

Together, they wove a story of research, culture, parenting, and protecting whales in a changing world.

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Songlines, Sea-Kin & Spiritual Whales

Dr. Jodi Edwards brought a different kind of science: Aboriginal Cultural Ecological Knowledge.

“We are whales. We are related through our dreaming stories.”

To Jodi, whales are more than animals -  they are kin, ancestors, and teachers. Where western science sees migration routes, she sees songlines - ancient paths across land, sea, and sky.

She warned against terms like “Humpback Highway”, saying they reflect the ongoing colonisation of language and Sea Country.

“There’s danger in commercialising our kin.”

Cruise ship tourism that feeds dolphins near Eden, she notes, risks distorting both cultural and ecological balance.

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Whale Language & Culture - More Than Just Songs

Olaf Meynecke, who quite literally follows whales, explored the emerging science of whale culture - from vocal recognition and social bonds to the way migration routes are passed down.

“It starts with language. And that delivers a form of culture.”

For humpbacks, migration may involve magnetic fields, memory, communication, and the ancestral pathways Jodi described. Science and songlines may not be so far apart after all.

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Are We Loving Whales to Death?

With whales now migrating along the east coast, the panel raised a difficult question:Are we protecting them - or harassing them with our love?

Drones, boats, cruise ships, swim tours… our fascination risks becoming intrusion.

“You don’t need to be a scientist to enjoy a whale. But we all need to be informed.” – Vanessa

This is where education becomes conservation, starting young - from Play School episodes to coastal school programs. Awareness drives change, and even small actions on land ripple out to sea.

A Climate in Flux, and the Whales Who Know

Climate change is shifting everything - and whales are noticing.

Migrations are arriving early or late. Antarctic feeding times are shortening. But Olaf noted their resilience: whales are adapting in ways we’re only beginning to understand.

Jodi added that Aboriginal knowledge systems have tracked and responded to environmental change for millennia.

Their stories, seasonal signs, and star maps are attuned to environmental shifts we are only just beginning to measure.

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Integrating Knowledge Systems

Not Either/Or - But Together

Both Vanessa and Olaf emphasised that conservation is strongest when Western science and Indigenous knowledge work in partnership.

“Let Aboriginal people lead the cultural ecological knowledge part of the journey.” – Jodi “That’s when the real collaboration begins.”

As Olaf put it:

“Diversity of knowledge is resilience.”

In a warming, pressured world, shared understanding gives us the best chance to adapt - and to protect what we love.

Final Reflections: The Whales Are Here

Right now, humpback whales are migrating along Australia’s east coast, making their annual journey from Antarctica to the tropics. From June to November, they pass by our shores - a powerful reminder of the connections between ocean, culture, and climate.

This panel wasn’t just about whales. It was about listening - to science, to Country, and to the whales themselves.

“The coastal wattle going green? That means the whales are coming.” – Dr. Jodi Edwards

They’re here. And so is our opportunity to learn, respect, and protect.

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Hosted by Robin Mellon, CEO Better Sydney, with panellists Dr Olaf Meynecke Griffith University, Dr Vanessa Pirotta, Macquarie University and Dr Jodi Edwards, Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Research Fellow University of Wollongong.

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At the Ocean Lovers Festival, we hosted a panel titled Crash through the Trash: Solving the Ocean Trash Crisis - and it sparked one of the most urgent conversations of the program.

Hosted by James Dorney, CEO of TOMRA Cleanaway, the panel featured:

• Lottie Dalziel, founder of Banish and 2023 NSW Young Australian of the Year

• Dr. Scott Wilson, marine ecotoxicologist and lead researcher at AUSMAP

• Rupert Saville, Program Manager at the NSW EPA

Together, they brought their experience from government, science, and grassroots action to explore what’s being done - and what still needs to happen - to tackle the tidal wave of plastic impacting our oceans, wildlife, and health.

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🧴 Why are plastics still everywhere?

It was the question that closed the panel - and maybe the most important one:‘If we know how bad plastic is, why is it still on our shelves?’

As Rupert from the NSW EPA pointed out, this isn’t just about products - it’s about mindsets. Plastic is embedded in our consumption habits and infrastructure, and change has to happen on multiple levels: from policy and regulation to business innovation and personal behavior.

Lottie added that individual action is still one of the most powerful tools we have. “Sustainability isn’t a destination,” she said. “It’s a journey we’re all on.”

💡 What’s already working?

While the plastic crisis can feel overwhelming, this panel made one thing clear: progress is happening. Some of the wins discussed:

• NSW has already achieved a 50% reduction in litter, with a goal of 60% by 2030.

• Plastic straws and bags have been almost completely removed from the litter stream thanks to bans - down 85–90%.

• Return and Earn container schemes have reduced drink container litter by 75%.

• Banish’s BRAD recycling program is diverting hard-to-recycle items like blister packs, pump bottles, and beauty products from landfill.

  

🧪 Microplastics: The invisible enemy

Dr. Scott Wilson reminded us that microplastics are now everywhere - from marine environments to our own bloodstreams. While the full human health impacts are still being researched, the environmental consequences are already clear.

AUSMAP, is mapping microplastic pollution across the country, helping local councils and communities understand and address the problem at its source.

🧼 5 Things you can do right now

This episode was full of practical, accessible tips for cutting your plastic footprint. Here are a few to try this Plastic Free July:

1. Use bar soap instead of pump bottles

2. Wash clothes on cold, with slower spin cycles, to reduce microplastic shedding from synthetic fabrics

3. Recycle the unrecyclables through programs like BRAD

4. Take eligible bottles to Return and Earn schemes to give them a second life

5. Be a smart shopper - avoid products with hidden microplastics (use sites like Beat the Microbead)

Bonus tip: Educate and share. Conversations, like this one, spark change.

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🎧 Tune In

This powerful conversation is now live as part of the Ocean Ideas Podcast. Listen now on Spotify, YouTube or ApplePodcasts. 

This Plastic Free July, don’t just talk trash, take action. Every small choice adds up. The ocean is calling, let’s keep it clean.

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Sea Country Is Not a Metaphor - It’s Family

“For me, Sea Country is a part of me,” Jodi began. “I was born in salty water - and I’ve always known we are related.”

Sea Country isn’t just the ocean. It includes the sky, the rivers, the animals, the tides - and the ancestral relationships woven through them. Sea-Kin are the whales, dolphins, seaweed, and fish, but also the stories, responsibilities, and deep ecological knowledge passed through generations.

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Women, Law, and the Ocean

Sea Country is matriarchal, governed by women’s law known as man. Women fished, healed, taught, and fed entire communities - using lines made of hair, songs sung to dolphins, and intricate ecological signs to guide harvest.

Even during colonisation, Jodi notes, the first written law regarding Aboriginal people prohibited stealing women’s fishing gear - a testament to their power and expertise.

Reclaiming Whales, Restoring Language

Unbroken Whispers focuses on whales: southern whales (once called “right” whales by whalers), humpbacks, and orcas - not “killer” whales. These names, Jodi says, distort ancient relationships. The “right” whale was what the hunting whalers identified as the species to target. “The whale wasn’t the killer. We had a symbiotic relationship.”

Migrating with the whales, Jodi works with communities to collect and protect cultural knowledge, map culturally significant marine sites, and empower elders and youth to keep traditions alive. Songs, dances, and stories are being revived through traditional teaching - on Country, by the fire, with elders.

Unbroken Whispers

Science, Story, and Shared Knowledge

Unlike Western science, Aboriginal knowledge isn’t centralized - it’s shared. “Each family holds part of the story,” says Jodi. “And together, those stories travel along the currents.”

Rather than extracting knowledge, scientists and policymakers are being encouraged to build respectful relationships with communities - asking, listening, and learning from those whose ancestors have stewarded Sea Country for millennia.

The Currents Carry Our Stories

From resisting the commercialisation of whaling massacre sites to challenging ocean industrialisation, Unbroken Whispers is about more than memory - it’s about justice, healing, and climate resilience.

“In our world, if you take something from Country, you must give back to Country,” Jodi reminds us.

And if we listen closely enough, we’ll hear them - the unbroken whispers still rippling through land, sea, and sky.

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Dr. Jodi Edwards is a proud Yuin-Dharawal woman with strong kinship ties to the Wandandian and Dharawal peoples through marriage. She is a creative arts practitioner, story holder, educator, and researcher, deeply grounded in culture and Country.

Dr. Edwards is an Associate Professor and Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Indigenous Research Fellow at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), where she leads work at the intersection of Indigenous knowledge systems, ocean governance, and cultural renewal.

If you enjoyed this piece, keep the conversation flowing - pass it on, speak up, and be an ocean advocate.

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Follow the journey of Unbroken Whispers and support Aboriginal-led marine conservation. Find out more about Jodi’s project below.

Unbroken Whispers

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Check out this podcast episode, Unbroken Whispers, on ABC Radio National’s Big Ideas.

Big Ideas Episode

Eighteen years ago, Dr. Christopher Pepin-Neff began researching human–shark interactions, what are still commonly called “shark attacks.” One of their earliest projects took them to Fish Hoek Beach in Cape Town, South Africa, where they surveyed beachgoers to explore public attitudes toward local marine life: sharks, dolphins, and seals.

Shortly after they completed the survey, a serious shark bite occurred at that same beach.

Pepin-Neff returned to Cape Town and repeated the survey, expecting to see a sharp rise in fear or a drop in support for sharks. But the data told a different story.

Public perception of sharks hadn’t changed. Statistically, there was no significant shift in attitudes toward them - even after a high-profile incident.

Surprisingly, it was the seals who took the reputational hit. The presence of a seal during the shark bite led to public speculation and misplaced blame. Some believed the seal had attracted the shark. Others tried to assign it heroic motives to protect the human. Either way, public support for seals noticeably declined.

It's Not About the Bite - It's About the Blame

This counterintuitive finding became central to Pepin-Neff’s work. They found that public reaction isn’t driven by fear alone - but by perceived intent.

• If a shark bites someone, we assume it’s predatory.

• If an orca attacks in captivity (think: Blackfish), we blame ourselves.

• If a polar bear mauls someone in the Arctic, we say, “They were in the wrong place.”

Same outcome. Different animal. Entirely different narrative.

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Climate Change Is the Common Denominator

Pepin-Neff, now Associate Professor of Public Policy at Sydney University, alongside polar bear expert Dr. Charlotte Reky, is now examining how different predator encounters reflect broader climate shifts.

Many human–wildlife conflicts, they argue, are not conflicts at all - but consequences of climate change. Warmer waters are shifting animal migration patterns and increasing overlap with humans:

• Sharks are appearing in new regions as the ocean warms.

• Orcas off Gibraltar are interacting with yachts more frequently, as their salmon feeding grounds expand with rising temperatures.

• Polar bears are famously seen stranded on shrinking sea ice - searching for what’s no longer there.

Yet instead of addressing climate as the root cause, public narratives often reduce these events to isolated, dramatic stories.

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The Power of Framing

At Sydney Aquarium, Pepin-Neff tested whether narrative alone could reduce fear. They asked visitors a simple question: “Do you think the shark can see you?”

Among those who answered "no" - who didn’t believe the shark was actively targeting them - fear dropped by 30%.

It was the first study of its kind to measurably reduce fear of sharks.

The takeaway: our language, assumptions, and stories shape not just how we see predators - but whether we’re willing to protect them.

Rethinking “Shark Attack”

Most shark bites are accidents, not attacks. But the word attack fuels fear, punishment, and calls for retribution. Pepin-Neff’s research - published in Marine Policy - has helped reframe these encounters as “human–shark interactions,” encouraging a more rational, less emotional response.

Their broader message? Human–wildlife conflicts are not created equal, and many are not “conflicts” at all.

It’s time to shift the focus - from fear to coexistence, and from blame to understanding.

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Dr. Chris Pepin-Neff (they/them) is a researcher and author exploring the intersection of politics, perception, and predator encounters. 

If you enjoyed this piece, keep the conversation flowing - pass it on, speak up, and be an ocean advocate.

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Aussies buy more new clothes per person than any other country. Most of it is made from fossil fuels. Bad for the planet, our oceans, and our health. But there’s hope.

In this week’s Ocean Ideas Podcast, four trailblazers share real solutions - from circular design to AI and Aussie science breakthroughs. 👗

Featuring:

- Lisa Lake, UTS

- Kit Willow, Fashion Designer

- Christopher Hurren, Deakin University

- Danielle Haj-Moussa, Main Sequence

Filmed at the beautiful Bondi Pavilion.

🎥 Brought to life by Impressive Immersive.

These magical marine creatures captivate us with their otherworldly beauty - but did you know they’re also at the heart of vital conservation work in Sydney Harbour?

🎧 Tune in to hear from the passionate scientists working to study and protect them. Described here as some of the most unique and charismatic creatures in the ocean - find out the best place in Sydney to spot them in the wild!

Huge thanks to Mitchell Brennan from SIMS for hosting this inspiring panel with:

🌊 Peter McGee, Underwater Research Group & UTS Fish Ecology Lab

🌿 Jillian Chambers, SIMS/UTS

🐠 Professor David Booth, UTS

Filmed at the beautiful Bondi Pavilion.

🎥 Brought to life by Impressive Immersive.

“The youth represent 100% of the future.” - Sophia Skarparis (AKA PlasticFreeSophia)

In this powerful episode of Ocean Ideas, hear from passionate young changemakers who are standing up, speaking out, and taking action to protect our blue planet.

🎙️ From launching national programs to taking the government to court in a groundbreaking climate case - these inspiring voices are proving that youth activism matters. 💪

🔹 Kal Glanznig, Blue Minds

🔹 Jessica Lane, Miss Earth 2024

🔹 Daisy Jeffrey, Duty of Care Campaigner

Hosted by the ever-inspiring PlasticFreeSophia, this episode is a must-watch for anyone who believes in the power of young people to make waves.

Special thanks to Impressive Immersive for the stellar audio and video quality. Filmed at Bondi Pavilion.

🎙️ Hear real stories, expert insights, and the urgent steps we need to take to drive political change.

Plus, ever wondered what to do if you come face to face with a shark? Stick around for a hot tip from Jason! 

🎧 Hosted by Robin Mellon, CEO of Better Sydney

With special guests:

🔹 Lawrence Chlebeck, Humane World for Animals

🔹 Jason Iggleden, Drone Shark App

🔹 Brylee Robinson, Nets Out Now Coalition

Special thanks to Impressive Immersive for the stellar audio and video quality. Filmed at Bondi Pavilion.

As climate change and extreme heating events threaten coral reefs around the world, scientists are racing to understand how these incredible ecosystems can survive—and how we can help.

In the latest episode of the Ocean Ideas Podcast, leading researchers Dr. Elliot Scanes, Dr. Emma Camp, and Dr. Cheng Chen dive into the evolutionary traits and survival strategies reefs use to adapt, and what science and conservation efforts must do next.

Special thanks to Impressive Immersive for the stellar audio and video quality.

Filmed at Bondi Pavilion.

Catch the latest episode of the Ocean Ideas Podcast to discover incredible citizen science projects you can join to support the conservation of this iconic species. 🌊 

You'll learn about their behaviours, population, and breeding habits, plus how Valerie Taylor’s “String of Pearls” initiative is creating a network of Marine Sanctuaries to ensure these sharks have safe migration, resting and breeding grounds. 🌟

Featured Speakers:

• Valerie Taylor

• Prof. Adam Stow (Macquarie University)

• Capt. Gordon Scott

• Sarah Han-De-Beaux (Spot a Shark)

Special thanks to Impressive Immersive for the stellar audio and video quality.Filmed at Bondi Pavilion.