News, research and teaching relating to the National Marine Science Centre

A man wearing beanie and red jacket in front of island moutain range

AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship awarded to Southern Cross University student

Southern Cross University Bachelor of Science student Luke Austin is among a select group of next generation rural leaders to receive a prestigious Horizon Scholarship.

11 April 2022

Marine Science Student Rhiannon Mitchell at the beach

Rhiannon Mitchell is making waves for young Aboriginal women

Rhiannon Mitchell, a Mununjali woman and Marine Science student at Southern Cross University, is making waves. She wants to change the future of Indigenous girls and women through ‘Saltwater Sistas,’ a mentoring program that creates a safe, culturally appropriate place to learn about culture, wellbeing, and ocean conservation.

07 April 2022

Leaf oysters: the unsung heroes of estuaries are disappearing, and we know almost nothing about them

Camouflaged by a layer of silty mud, most people probably wouldn’t notice the large flat oysters lurking beneath shallow water in Australia’s coastal estuaries. These are remarkable “leaf oysters”, and they can form reefs, produce mauve pearls, and reach the size of a dinner plate.

20 January 2022

Sea cucumber manual a global success story for Southern Cross Uni researcher

A Southern Cross University manual for postharvest processing of small-scale fishery products is now available in eight languages.

01 December 2021

Olly Pitt, General manager for Australian Seabird Rescue and Southern Cross Uni science graduate

Olivia (Olly) Pitt, Southern Cross University marine science graduate, grins from ear to ear. “It just never gets old,” she says. “We’ve released hundreds of turtles and every time it’s the same feeling.”

21 October 2021

Woodchip bioreactors may help farmers reduce fertiliser pollution in waterways

Prototype woodchip bioreactors may reduce nitrogen pollution entering nearby waterways by as much as 85% in the right conditions.

12 October 2021

Plume of seawater droplets from sprayer rises into the sky

Taking to the skies to shade corals using new technologies

Southern Cross University-led field trials of an innovative new technique that aims to prevent coral bleaching by spraying microscopic seawater particles into the air is producing exciting preliminary results.

26 August 2021

Selective breeding can produce heat-tolerant corals: new study

Coral populations have genetic potential to adapt to warming oceans, according to new research by Southern Cross University researchers.

23 August 2021

Coral, meet coral: how selective breeding may help the world’s reefs survive ocean heating

A single generation of selective breeding can make corals better able to withstand extreme temperatures, according to our new research. The discovery could offer a lifeline to reefs threatened by the warming of the world’s oceans.

21 August 2021

Helping conservation groups save marine wildlife

Southern Cross University expertise and resources will bolster rescue and research for marine animals off the Mid North Coast in a new partnership.

11 August 2021

Scientist holds up beaker with green liquid

Southern Cross aquaculture specialist exploring climate change impact

Southern Cross lecturer and researcher Dr Benjamin Mos specialises in aquaculture and human impacts in oceans and waterways. Working from the National Marine Science Centre in Coffs Harbour, Ben is a descendant of the Turrbal people, the original inhabitants of Meeanjin (Brisbane). He believes this rich heritage has helped with his career as a scientist.

14 September 2021

Inspired by nature: a deep dive with National Marine Science Centre director Kirsten Benkendorff

From cancer cures to potent water filters, marine molluscs – all things snail, slug and octopi – have a lot to offer. Just ask the Director of the National Marine Science Centre, Professor Kirsten Benkendorff.

6 August 2021

Declining growth rates of global coral reef ecosystems

If the trend of declining coral growth continues at the current rate, the world’s coral reefs may cease calcifying around 2054.

11 June 2021

Cauliflower-like cauliflower with a yellow seahorse

Endangered purple Cauliflower Coral pushed closer to brink of extinction after recent flooding

The gardens of purple, cauliflower-like corals that have long-delighted divers in Port Stephens waters are in significant decline.

1 June 2021

Horticulture in Coffs coast catchment with Shane White and Praktan Wadnekar

Marine scientists fingerprint sources of nitrogen on the Coffs coast

Coffs coast waterways are bearing the brunt of a nitrogen double-whammy from fertilisers and recycled sewage. Remarkably in dry periods, though, the waterways can protect downstream habitats by removing much of the nitrogen naturally.

15 September 2020

Crown of thorns starfish newly settled juvenile credit Benjamin Mos

Baby predator starfish prove to be unfussy, adaptable eaters - and scientists are worried

Discovery of the diet flexibility of juvenile crown of thorns starfish has complicated scientists’ ability to predict the timing of devastating outbreaks of adults on coral reefs.

21 July 2020

Anna Scott in ABC documentary Australia's Ocean Odyssey

How Nemo’s ocean highway supports life along Australia’s east coast

The famous ocean highway that transported Nemo the clownfish along Australia’s east coast is the subject of a new documentary featuring Southern Cross University sea anemone expert Dr Anna Scott.

8 June 2020

Marine science fish at Solitary Islands Aquarium Coffs Harbour

Students see futures in Southern Cross sciences

Southern Cross University is seeing an unprecedented increase in demand for science degrees into the second half of 2020.

7 June 2020

Scientists trial world-first ‘cloud brightening’ technique to protect corals

As the world grapples with COVID-19, the Great Barrier Reef is facing a crisis of its own – its third mass bleaching in five years.

20 April 2020

Southern Cross University joins world-leading RRAP program to boost reef resilience

Southern Cross University has joined the world-leading Reef Restoration and Adaptation (RRAP) Program to help preserve and restore the Great Barrier Reef in the face of rising ocean temperatures and coral bleaching.

16 April 2020

Hidden army: How starfish could build up numbers to attack coral reefs

Crown of thorns starfish lie in wait as algae-eating young before attacking coral. Research published today (8 April 2020) in Biology Letters has shown that juvenile starfish can delay their diet shift to coral for at least 6.5 years.

8 April 2020

Sydney desalination plant discharge boosts fish numbers by almost 300 per cent

Sydney's desalination plant has delivered an unexpected effect on the marine life surrounding its discharge outlet — a massive increase in fish life.
This article published on the ABC News website.

19 December 2019

New Australian shrimp species scales waterfalls, changes gender

Researchers have described an unusual species of shrimp found in north Queensland, which scales 100-metre high waterfalls, changes gender, and uses nets on its front legs to eat.

16 December 2019

Southern Cross University awarded almost $1.3 million for prestigious ARC Discovery Program grants

The Australian Research Council recently announced the prestigious 2020 Discovery Program awards. The grants awarded included $577,000 for a Discovery Indigenous project.

11 December 2019

Tomoki Mishina is changing the world, one beautiful fish at a time

One of Tomoki Mishina’s big life dreams is to create a world in which tuna live in home aquariums. Actually, that’s sort of a joke as, Tomoki (Tom) says, “a tuna is huge; who would have that in their room?” His ambition is, however to “make something that’s impossible, possible.”

23 September 2019

Southern Great Barrier Reef island shows vital signs of life

Large portions of the Great Barrier Reef have experienced devastating coral decline, but there is one island bucking the trend. New research from Southern Cross University doctoral researcher Kay Davis shows One Tree Island, near Gladstone in the southernmost neighbourhood of the Great Barrier Reef, has experienced remarkable coral growth.

25 June 2019

Keeping an eye on sharks from the sky – are drones a good idea?

Drones were deployed at NSW beaches more than three years to monitor sharks and develop surveillance procedures in an effort to keep beach-goers safe following a spate of attacks in 2015.

29 May 2019

Australian Academy of Science honours marine science Professor

The Australian Academy of Science, the nation’s peak science body, has awarded its prestigious 2019 Anton Hales Medal for distinguished research in the Earth Sciences to Professor Isaac Santos from Southern Cross University.

28 February 2019

Woodchip bioreactors may help farmers reduce fertiliser pollution in waterways

Prototype woodchip bioreactors may reduce nitrogen pollution entering nearby waterways by as much as 85% in the right conditions.

12 October 2021