Australian Marine Conservation Society

24/06/2026

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said the state recorded the bird flu in a Southern Giant Petrel found on the Fleurieu Peninsula. Authorities previously confirmed two birds had the disease near the town of Esperance in Western Australia.

Delays in the virus reaching Australia gave us valuable time to prepare and protect our wildlife, but now we must do more to confront this existential threat to our unique wildlife.

Funding for preparedness efforts to date has been vital and these plans now need to be put into place urgently, as WA has already done.

If you find a sick or dead bird or other wildlife that you suspect could have bird flu (H5N1), remember to:

AVOID contact with sick or dead wildlife and their environment. Do not touch, move or approach the bird, and do not allow pets to touch or eat sick or dead wildlife.
RECORD what you see, the location the animal was found, and take photos or video (if possible) without approaching the bird / animal.
REPORT any unusual illness or death in wild birds and other wildlife immediately via the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

Add your name and ask federal ministers to take action: https://www.marineconservation.org.au/actions/bird-flu/

24/06/2026

🔔Competition closes midnight tonight!

Roger Swainston is one of Australia's most respected marine artists.

🪸 During a resurvey of Ellison Reef on the Great Barrier Reef, he spent four days diving and drawing underwater.

Working in warm 28°C waters, often three hours per tank, he sketched species in place while navigating shifting tides.

This artwork comes directly from that time in the water – documenting coral structures, reef fish diversity and large, long-lived formations as they exist today.

Win the framed print (1,820mm wide, valued at over $2,700).

➡️ To enter: tell us in 50 words or less why coral reefs are so important to our marine ecosystem and why they deserve our protection.
https://bit.ly/amcs-roger-swainston-competition

Enter before midnight, 24 June.
T&Cs Apply

22/06/2026

If you find a sick or dead bird or other wildlife that you suspect could have bird flu (H5N1), remember to:
AVOID contact with sick or dead wildlife and their environment. Do not touch, move or approach the bird, and do not allow pets to touch or eat sick or dead wildlife.
RECORD what you see, the location the animal was found, and take photos or video (if possible) without approaching the bird / animal.
REPORT any unusual illness or death in wild birds and other wildlife immediately via the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

Find out more via our latest media release: https://www.marineconservation.org.au/devastating-virus-threatens-australias-marine-life-including-our-sea-lions/

22/06/2026

Is Australia doing enough to protect the Great Barrier Reef? The UN's World Heritage body is about to give its verdict.

21/06/2026

Award-winning comedian, ocean lover and AMCS Ambassador Kirsty Webeck is touring Australia with her new show, Lost for Words! 🎤

📸Kirsty recently launched our Great Barrier Reef Coral Clearance Sale – hawking some of our rarest corals to highlight how ridiculous it is that the Reef’s corals are being chipped off and shipped off as wild coral exports.

That’s no laughing matter, but Kirsty’s new show is the perfect comedic antidote.

📍 Cairns → Sunshine Coast → Brisbane → Brunswick Heads → Sydney → Newcastle → Adelaide → Launceston → Newham → Meeniyan

Find a show near you and grab your tickets here: kirstywebeck.com/tickets

20/06/2026

We'll just leave this here...👀

An ad from Salmon Tasmania that declares “truth is the most important thing” has been found by Ad Standards to feature misleading environmental claims.The commercial purports to prove, with the use of footage captured by underwater robotics, that its fishing pens do not disturb the underwater en...

19/06/2026

About time! Congrats to our Kiwi cousins for getting the ball rolling again. 💙🌊

The five new marine sanctuaries together span 308 square kilometres – an area about as large as six Sydney Harbours. They will protect coastal waters, tidal lagoons, kelp forests, deep-sea canyons, and animals like hoiho yellow-eyed penguins. 🏖️🐧

Marine sanctuaries work like national parks in the ocean, fully protecting marine life. They are essential to keeping the ocean healthy.

Known as Te Au Roa o Te Rakihouia, the new network of marine sanctuaries will come into effect on 1 July this year and be co-managed between Kāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation. The process began in 2014.

🌏 Yet, according to Forest & Bird, less than 1% of New Zealand’s ocean is fully protected in marine sanctuaries. Both New Zealand and Australia still have plenty of work to do to protect our ocean. ⏳

📷 Paul Pope / Department of Conservation.

19/06/2026

Heartbreaking news from Heard Island 💔

A new study has confirmed that bird flu (H5N1) has caused mass mortality of southern elephant seals.
Across the island, researchers estimate over 13,000 pups were lost, with 97% of pups recorded dead in the worst-hit harem (social and mating group).

This sub-Antarctic Australian island is home to over a million breeding seals and seabirds, and is now the latest frontline in the global spread of bird flu, which has already wreaked havoc on marine mammals and seabirds worldwide.

Scientists have warned that the virus could soon reach mainland Australia, threatening iconic species like Australian sea lions, seabirds, penguins, and other endemic wildlife.

Today, the first suspected case has been found in Western Australia in a single migratory bird. Further testing will be undertaken to confirm that the sick bird is carrying H5N1 bird flu.

This news reinforces the importance of the Federal Government’s ongoing funding to increase Australia’s bird flu preparedness.

18/06/2026

Marine scientists at CSIRO have discovered 149 new deep-sea species in Australian marine sanctuaries!

The 149 new species were found in the ocean around the Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands, an Australian territory far off the northwest coast of the mainland. Christmas Island is famous for its annual red crab migration.

Over the last few years, island communities, AMCS and our supporters like you were all part of a campaign to increase marine sanctuary protection in the offshore federal waters around these islands. In 2022, these areas were protected in one of the largest marine sanctuaries in the world, covering an area bigger than Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT combined! Moments like this show us what can happen when we take action to improve the protection of our ocean.

Right now, we have a similar opportunity to increase marine sanctuary protection in Australia’s offshore waters around the mainland. Add your support now: https://www.marineconservation.org.au/actions/marine-parks-reviews/ 👈

Marine sanctuaries work like national parks in the ocean, fully protecting marine life. They are essential to a healthy ocean.

📷 Image and identification supplied by CSIRO.