Australia

The SS Nemesis disappeared during an intense storm in July 1904 as it was transporting coal from Newcastle to Melbourne, Australia.
The SS Nemesis disappeared during an intense storm in July 1904 as it was transporting coal from Newcastle to Melbourne, Australia.

SS Nemesis wreck uncovered: Solving a 120-year maritime mystery

The discovery, which resolved over a century of mystery surrounding the ship's location, occurred during a standard environmental survey.

The SS Nemesis, constructed in 1873, was a cargo steamer that encountered its premature demise during a ferocious storm in 1901. Since that time, the wreck's position had remained an enigmatic puzzle, baffling historians and the crew's descendants alike. Its unveiling not only concludes a historical narrative but also heralds a new chapter in Australia's extensive maritime legacy.

If a shark or other animal is captured, the pressure on the line triggers the communications unit, which then sends an alert via phone call, email and text message to a boat crew who will respond to the animal within 30 minutes. If it is a target shark, namely a white, bull or tiger shark, it will be tagged and then released one kilometre offshore. All other marine animals caught are released immediately.

Catch-and-release deters sharks from beaches

Researchers conducted trials using SMART drumlines in New South Wales, Australia, to catch and release sharks, particularly White Sharks. The study aimed to quantify the short-term post-release movements and the longer-term fate of these sharks.

Sharks were caught using SMART drumlines deployed about 500 meters from shore. Once captured, they were quickly secured to a research vessel, minimising potential injuries. The sharks were tagged with satellite-linked radio transmitting tags and acoustic transmitters to monitor their movements post-release.

Pod of Burrunan dolphins at the ocean surface
Burrunan dolphins have been found to have high levels of toxicity in their system.

Critically endangered dolphins face unprecedented pollutant threat

In a joint study, scientists found alarming concentrations of PFAS chemicals in Victoria’s critically endangered Burrunan dolphins. 

These chemicals, widely used in food packaging, firefighting foam and non-stick cookware, are sometimes called “forever chemicals” as they almost never break down in the environment. 

Toyota Land Cruiser
1978 Toyota Land Cruiser

1978 Toyota Land Cruiser sets new underwater record

Comprising a skilled team of engineers, professional divers, and automobile enthusiasts, this collective recently orchestrated an extraordinary endeavor. They navigated a vintage Land Cruiser 4.3 miles beneath the waters of Darwin, an Australian city, setting a new bar for both the longest and deepest underwater journey.

This historic achievement, as reported by ABC News Australia, saw the vehicle reaching an astounding depth of 98 feet beneath the harbor's surface. This feat demanded more than a mere snorkel to achieve.

Great Barrier Reef at the Whitsunday Islands, Australia.
Great Barrier Reef at the Whitsunday Islands, Australia.

Great Barrier Reef narrowly escapes UNESCO World Heritage downgrade

Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1981, narrowly avoided a downgrade to the "in danger" status during a recent meeting of the World Heritage Committee. The decision was made despite the repeated warnings by experts about the escalating impact of climate change on the world's largest coral reef system.

Whitsunday Islands, Great Barrier Reef.
Whitsunday Islands, Great Barrier Reef.

Great Barrier Reef has sort of chlamydia

The discovery of chlamydia-like bacteria in corals of the Great Barrier Reef could help scientists understand the coral microbiome and its impact on coral reef health.

Corals are associated with a variety of bacteria, which occur in the surface mucus layer, gastrovascular cavity, skeleton and tissues where they play a critical role in protecting corals against pathogens, cycling nutrients, and producing vitamins and essential amino acids. 

Some tissue-associated bacteria form clusters, termed cell-associated microbial aggregates (CAMAs), which are poorly studied.

The coastal freighter MV Blythe Star capsized off the coast of south-west Tasmania in October 1973.
The coastal freighter MV Blythe Star capsized off the coast of south-west Tasmania in October 1973.

Blythe Star shipwreck found off Tasmanian coast, ending 50-year mystery

The 44-metre motor vessel (MV) Blythe Star was a coastal freighter that disappeared off Tasmania nearly 50 years ago. On the 13 October 1973 while making a routine trip from Hobart to King Island, the ship began developing a list to the starboard before taking on water and capsizing.

The new species of catshark has shiny white irises, which is unusual of a deep-sea species
The new species of catshark has shiny white irises, which is unusual of a deep-sea species

New shark species discovered off Australia

Most sharks give birth to live young, but a few species, known as oviparous sharks, lay eggs. The new species could be identified because researchers noticed something interesting about its egg cases, pouches that attach to a surface in the ocean and hold onto a fertilized shark eggs as it develops.

Great White Shark  Photo:  Elias Levy
Great White Shark

Great white shark swims more than 10,000km in 150 days

Researchers from the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Deakin University fitted an adult male shark with a pop-up satellite tag and tracked it for more than five months.

After being tagged, the shark swam more than 20km out to sea, then headed north to Queensland. 

It roamed between 80 and 280km offshore between Agnes Water and the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, before heading to the cooler waters in southern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.