Word on the Reef

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Word on the Reef

Tanya Murphy

44 episodes

1 week ago

💸 WIN $100! Fill out our Word on the Reef Listener Survey before 30 September 2025 to go in the draw. 🪸 Scott Reef, Australia’s largest remote offshore reef, is a breathtaking sanctuary for corals, fish, rare sea snakes, nesting turtles, and pygmy blue whales. But this natural wonder is under threat from a mega gas drilling and carbon dumping proposal. Fossil fuel campaigner Louise Morris from the Australian Marine Conservation Society joins us to explain what’s at stake and how we can fight ...

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All content for Word on the Reef is the property of Tanya Murphy and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

💸 WIN $100! Fill out our Word on the Reef Listener Survey before 30 September 2025 to go in the draw. 🪸 Scott Reef, Australia’s largest remote offshore reef, is a breathtaking sanctuary for corals, fish, rare sea snakes, nesting turtles, and pygmy blue whales. But this natural wonder is under threat from a mega gas drilling and carbon dumping proposal. Fossil fuel campaigner Louise Morris from the Australian Marine Conservation Society joins us to explain what’s at stake and how we can fight ...

Show more...

Episodes (20/44)

Word on the Reef

S2 E28: Corals' Last Stand: The Fight to Save Scott Reef

💸 WIN $100! Fill out our Word on the Reef Listener Survey before 30 September 2025 to go in the draw. 🪸 Scott Reef, Australia’s largest remote offshore reef, is a breathtaking sanctuary for corals, fish, rare sea snakes, nesting turtles, and pygmy blue whales. But this natural wonder is under threat from a mega gas drilling and carbon dumping proposal. Fossil fuel campaigner Louise Morris from the Australian Marine Conservation Society joins us to explain what’s at stake and how we can fight ...

1 week ago

42 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E27: Stronger Storms, Stronger Solutions: Saving Coral After Cyclones

Cyclones are part of life in the tropics, but climate change is making them stronger and more destructive. On the Great Barrier Reef, their force can pulverise thriving coral gardens into unstable rubble fields where baby corals struggle to grow. But there’s hope! In this week’s episode, we dive into an innovative solution that’s helping damaged reefs bounce back — and discover how you can play a role in bringing them back to life again! This week's guest: Freda Nicholson, marine biologist an...

3 weeks ago

41 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E26: Restoring Seagrass on the Great Barrier Reef with Dr Tim Smith

💸 WIN $100! Fill out our Word on the Reef Listener Survey before 30 September 2025 to go in the draw. 🌱 Seagrass meadows are the unsung heroes of the Great Barrier Reef – nurseries for fish, food for turtles and dugongs, and a frontline defence against climate change. But after a massive die-off, Dr Tim Smith and the team at JCU TropWATER faced a huge challenge: how do you restore these fragile ecosystems while dealing with crocodiles, stingers, and waist-deep mud? The answer: helicopters, ho...

4 weeks ago

39 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E25: Just Say Yes: Why You Should Volunteer with Reef Check on the Great Barrier Reef

Ever dreamed of exploring the Great Barrier Reef for free—while making a real difference? With Reef Check Australia, volunteers can join survey dives and help clean up marine debris, all while experiencing the Reef up close. But what does it take to become a qualified reef surveyor? In this episode, Reef Check Australia’s General Manager, Jodi Salmond, shares how you can get involved and play a hands-on role in protecting this natural wonder. Sign the Petition: Support Cameras on Trawl Fishin...

1 month ago

43 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E24: Not Just a Pretty Shell: The Beautiful and Terrifying Molluscs of the Great Barrier Reef

What has no arms, no legs, and no brain, but can flash like a disco light, help control pests and kill you in minutes? Queensland Museum's mollusc expert Darryl Potter has spent three decades fearlessly tracking down these armoured beasts all along the Great Barrier Reef, and he's here to tell us why they're more than just an ornament for your bathroom. It's one shell of a show! Support the show PROTECT THE REEF - Sign these Petitions Now! Australian Marine Conservation Society: Australia, ...

1 month ago

40 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E23: Swimming Against the Current: Overcoming Fear, Failure, and Neurodivergence to Become a Global Shark Advocate

Growing up with ADHD and Dyslexia, Aliah Banchik never thought she could achieve calm focus, let alone become a successful scientist, artist and Netflix star. Then she discovered sharks. In this inspiring episode, Aliah shares her mission to reshape how we see both sharks and neurodivergence, revealing the beauty in misunderstood animals and people alike. We’ll also chat about her journey on Netflix’s All The Sharks—no spoilers, we promise! Support the show PROTECT THE REEF - Sign these Petit...

1 month ago

43 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E22: Dammed if you Don't: Saving Fish from Migration Mayhem

Did you know some of our marine fish are living DOUBLE LIVES? That’s right, they want the best of both worlds, saltwater and freshwater. So one minute they’re living the dream on a beautiful coral reef, next minute they’ve decided they need a tree change, and they’re swimming up into our rivers. What are they doing there? And importantly – what happens when humans build dams, causeways and other watery traffic jams that block these fish from finishing their migration missions? This week's gue...

1 month ago

40 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E21: SPOTTED: The Great Barrier Reef's first known Whale Shark Aggregation Site

Whale sharks—harmless, majestic giants—have long been mystery visitors on the Great Barrier Reef, their movements shrouded in secrecy... until now. In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have identified the Reef’s first known whale shark aggregation site. Join us as we uncover where these elusive creatures have been hiding with Ingo Miller—marine biologist turned shark detective. On a mission to find and protect the world’s largest fish before it’s too late, Ingo followed the clues to thei...

2 months ago

40 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E20 Everything Kirsty Webeck Needs to Say About Sea Creatures

Australian comedian Kirsty Webeck loves sea creatures. She's learned a lot about them through her lifelong passion for snorkelling - and now she's here to share what the sperm whales don't want you to know. She is currently touring with her live standup show called Everything I Need to Say About Sea Creatures and it's a real hoot to have her joining us on Word on the Reef this week! We also chat with Dave George from the Cairns Nautilus Scuba Club, who shares why joining your local dive...

2 months ago

40 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E19: Modern Day Castaway: A Gruelling 50 Days Alone on the Reef

Meet Mike Atkinson — former military pilot turned solo adventurer, survival expert, and filmmaker. In one of the boldest voyages ever attempted, Mike hand-carved a dugout canoe and sailed it 1,500 kilometres up the Great Barrier Reef — from Townsville to the Torres Strait — using only traditional, handmade fishing and hunting tools. No engine. No GPS. No esky. Surviving on stingray, dried kangaroo, and sheer determination, Mike faced crocodiles, storms, and solitude — all in a quest to recon...

2 months ago

43 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E18: Sex Under the Sea: The Weird World of Marine Reproduction

Welcome to the ocean -- where your genitals are on your face, males give birth, and gender is more of a suggestion than a rule. You can snooze in a bubble of your own vomit or switch sexes overnight without anyone batting a fin. What a world! This week we’re joined by Mike Scotland - marine biologist, underwater photographer, and editor of DiveLog Magazine. With 50 years of diving, thousands of dives, and two books under his weight belt (Marine Biology in the Wild and Diving With Sharks), Mik...

2 months ago

38 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E17: Trawl Wars: The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park vs. The Fishing Industry

The 1990s was a wild west era for fishing on the Great Barrier Reef. Even after being declared a Marine Park and a World Heritage area, more than 95% of the Great Barrier Reef was still being fished, and things were heading downhill fast. Then came a bombshell report that exposed what was really going on beneath the surface -- and all hell broke loose. What followed was a fierce battle known as the ‘Trawl Wars,' and unfortunately, it did not happen in a galaxy far, far away. In this episode,...

3 months ago

44 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E16: Shark Tracker: The Wild Life of Richard Fitzpatrick

Richard Fitzpatrick wants to change the way you think about sharks. Ever since he kept a pet shark as a kid, Richard has made it his life’s mission to rewrite the story of one of the ocean’s most misunderstood predators. Now an Emmy-winning cinematographer, marine biologist and shark researcher, he’s spent more than 15,000 hours swimming with sharks — filming them, tagging them, and tracking them for science, often using wildly unorthodox (and very hands-on) methods. In this episode of Word o...

3 months ago

48 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E15: Save the Reef from your Sofa: Citizen Science with Nicole Senn

Did you know you can help with coral research on the Great Barrier Reef without even leaving your couch? On this week's episode of Word on the Reef, get ready to swipe right on high-value corals as we dive into the incredible world of citizen science. Our guest is Nicole Senn, Head of Engagement at Citizens of the Reef and passionate ocean advocate, who reveals how everyday people all over the world are helping monitor coral health - no snorkel or flippers required! Nicole shares how the data...

3 months ago

44 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E14: Tree-mendous Impacts: How Forests Help Save Coral Reefs

Did you know that deforestation up to 1,000 kilometres inland can harm coral reefs and potentially fuel outbreaks of coral-eating starfish? This week we explore one of the lesser-known but critical threats to the Great Barrier Reef: declining water quality due to land clearing. Our guest this week is Sarah Sims, a conservation and land management expert, dive instructor, and underwater photographer based in Cairns. Sarah's love of the Reef has inspired her to trace water pollution back to its...

3 months ago

43 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E13: Undercover Investigation: The Supermarket Plastics Trashing our Oceans

Did you know Aussies are among the worst plastic polluters on the planet - second only to Singapore for our use of single-use plastic packaging? Every year, 145,000 tonnes of plastic waste leak into our environment, and most of it comes from our supermarkets. Many of these plastics are not recyclable, and even when binned “correctly," they escape - blown by wind, swept by rain - ending up in rivers, oceans, and inside marine life. From turtles mistaking bags for jellyfish to seabirds literall...

4 months ago

43 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E12: Toxic Tide: South Australia's Deadly Algal Bloom Disaster

In South Australia, a toxic algal bloom has resulted in more than 12,000 marine animals from nearly 450 different species washing up dead on local beaches, turning once-thriving ecosystems into underwater graveyards and leaving locals traumatised... But what's causing this disaster, and what can we do about it? This week's guest: Stefan Andrews, marine biologist, filmmaker, educator, and Co-Founder of the Great Southern Reef Foundation, www.greatsouthernreef.comwww.instagram.com/greatsouthern...

4 months ago

57 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E11: How to Save the Ocean: Taking Meaningful Action on Climate Change

Climate Change is the biggest threat to coral reefs worldwide, causing unprecedented coral bleaching events. But there are things we can all do to help - and you don't need to be a marine biologist or even live anywhere near the ocean to make a difference! Here's your guide to powerful, practical climate action to help save the Great Barrier Reef - and the best part? You can do it from anywhere! Joining us this week is marine scientist and climate campaigner Dr Yolanda Waters, founder and CEO...

4 months ago

1 hour 1 minute

Word on the Reef

S2 E10: Trash Talk: Inside the Marine Debris Crisis on the Great Barrier Reef – and What You Can Do

This week we head to the remote beaches of the Great Barrier Reef—where plastic pollution is piling up faster than we can clean it. But is picking up rubbish really the solution? Or just the beginning? Join us as we play trash detective with marine debris expert Heidi Tait, founder of Tangaroa Blue and the Australian Marine Debris Initiative. From her early days as a dive instructor to shaping global plastic policies, Heidi shares her extraordinary story—and the innovative ways she’s turning ...

4 months ago

41 minutes

Word on the Reef

S2 E9: Catching Air, Calling for Action: A Tour Operator's Plea to Save the Great Barrier Reef

Brett Wright has spent the past 30 years taking visitors to the Great Barrier Reef from Port Douglas with his tour company Windswell Adventures—and he's seen the changes up close. From worsening coral bleaching to the devastation of extreme weather events, climate change is no longer a distant threat, but a reality affecting his livelihood and the Reef he loves. Brett shares a heartfelt call for stronger climate leadership, while reminding us that the Reef is still alive, breathtaking, and wo...

4 months ago

41 minutes