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Ships have been translocating species around the world for hundreds of years but attempts to understand and manage this issue date back only three decades. Here we review the assessment and management of risks from vessel biofouling and ballast water over this time period from an Australian and New Zealand perspective. We detail a history of successes and failures at the science-policy interface that include international guidelines for biofouling management and the recent ratification of a ballast water convention. We summarize the efficacy and costs of current treatment options, and highlight the practical challenges and policy implications of managing the diffuse and succinct bio-invasion risks that shipping creates pre- and post-border. We then use the lessons learnt over the last 30 years to recommend a future empirical strategy.

The Gulf of Carpentaria off Australia's northern coast has one of the highest rates of abandoned fishing nets, or so-called ghostnets, anywhere in the world. In fact, up to three tonnes of netting washes ashore each year for every kilometre of coastline.

Southeast Asian countries were urged on Tuesday to treat migrants landing on their shores humanely and avoid a repeat of this year's disaster in which hundreds of refugees were either lost at sea or died in jungle camps.

CSIRO's research vessel (RV) Investigator departed Darwin for a 45-day voyage of biodiversity discovery in the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean.

A few weeks after IDAI which wreaked havoc on central Mozambique (and eastern Zimbabwe), the country is dealing with another unprecedented event. Tropical Cyclone Kenneth made landfall in northern Mozambique on 25 April, near the border with Tanzania, in an area where no tropical cyclone has been observed since the satellite era. There is no record of two storms of such intensity striking Mozambique in the same season. It has now weakened into a depression.

A new study from Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, in waters off the Western Australian coast has showed floating a special kind of filter paper in seawater can reveal which species are present in an area.

What do turtle nail clippings, diving whale sharks, and 12 million mushroom corals have in common?

Scientists have captured rare footage of five Bigfin Squid in the Great Australian Bight, the first time they've been seen in Australian waters.

A bio-rich region that provides much of the country's seafood is the first site in Australia to demonstrate CSIRO's AquaWatch technology works.

Tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) have long suffered from the domination of distant water fishing nations (DWFNs) in decision-making processes. The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) is no exception. In recent years, coastal states of the Indian Ocean (IO) have tried to change this dynamic - led by countries like the Maldives, Kenya, South Africa, and Australia - to deliver greater benefits to the region, including East Africa. These countries are gathered under the informal group of G16 and have increasingly improved their involvement in the IOTC. Here, we ask how the rise of the G16 benefited coastal States through participation and collective understanding in the Indian Ocean. To do this, we analyzed proposals submitted by the G16 for conservation and management measures and the participant lists of the Commission meetings in the past ten years. Our results show that, individually and collectively, the G16 has played a significant role in shaping the IOTC's rules. The coastal States have established a good representation, with only a handful of Members absent in some years. Unveiling the efforts of coastal countries is essential to guide further capacity building in the region in terms of negotiations. We also call for international oversight of the actions of DWFNs, such as the EU, whose efforts often differ markedly from their claims of being sustainability champions. The G16's work is essential to keep the coastal States of the Indian Ocean in the driver's seat for managing Indian Ocean fisheries to benefit future generations.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has declared Tropical Cyclone Freddy to be the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record, at 36 days. Freddy crossed the Indian Ocean basin, starting off the coast of Northwest Australia and reached southern Africa, in February and March 2023. It caused major human and economic losses in the worst-affected countries.