Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies - IMAS

31/08/2026

Not even some cloudy days and squalls could dampen the enthusiasm of more than a hundred IMAS Intro to Marine and Antarctic Science students and our teaching team, as they set out last week on an exciting learning adventure aboard Pennicott Wilderness Journeys vessels.

Across three field days, five trips left from Port Arthur or Eaglehawk Neck and headed to Tasman Island on the Tasman Peninsula, with students seeing the breathtaking sea cliffs and experiencing wildlife encounters 🐬

“The trips were a real highlight for our students and a great opportunity for us to connect classroom learning with observations in the field,” said lecturer Dr Pier van der Merwe.

“The students were delighted to observe whales, seals, dolphins and a wide variety of seabirds rounding up and feeding on baitfish.

“These field trips give our students a glimpse of the specialised areas of study they'd like to pursue in years 2 and 3 of their Bachelor of Marine and Antarctic Studies (BMAS).”

✨ Our Island is your classroom: utas.edu.au/study-at-imas

📸 Images by Pier van der Merwe (1,2), Scott Ling (3,4) and Paul Spence (5)

University of Tasmania Pennicott Wilderness Journeys

28/08/2026

What could a commercial sardine fishery mean for Tasmania?

Socioeconomic research conducted by IMAS shows a sardine fishery operating at the proposed precautionary limit of 7,500 tonnes could deliver:

💰 Up to $9.4 million to the state economy
👷 Up to 60 jobs across fishing, processing and support industries

This work looks at how benefits could stay in Tasmania, including local fleets and onshore processing opportunities.

Read the full report on the IMAS website: https://tinyurl.com/mus2jbdp

Fisheries Tasmania

28/08/2026

More than 400 polar experts from Australia and around the world gathered at the University of Tasmania this week for the Australian Antarctic Research Conference (AARC), as Antarctica and the Southern Ocean undergo rapid environmental change.

The conference brought together research from sea ice and biodiversity to climate modelling, social sciences and technology, reflecting Antarctica's growing importance to Australia’s future.

“One of the biggest challenges facing Antarctic science is understanding what changes in Antarctica mean for global sea-level rise, particularly for coastal communities here in Australia and our Pacific island neighbours,” said Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) & ANU geophysicist Dr Mark Hoggard.

“This conference showcases Australia's strength in bringing together the science needed to answer those critical questions and help communities prepare for the future.”

Read more: https://tinyurl.com/3ntjy22p

The conference is jointly sponsored by AAPP, the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS), Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF) and the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), supported by the Tasmanian Government.

📸 (1) Peter W Allen UTAS (2) Pete Harmsen AAD (3) Mark Horstman AAPP

26/08/2026

Last week, we welcomed a delegation from the Japanese House of Representatives Committee on the Environment to our IMAS Taroona research facilities.

The visit was an opportunity to showcase IMAS research, with Dr John Keane, Professor Jayson Semmens and Associate Professor Andrew Trotter highlighting work across threatened species conservation, including the Maugean skate and red handfish, and research on seagrass and kelp ecosystems.

A key focus was kelp loss associated with increasing sea urchin populations.

Dr Keane led discussions comparing Tasmania’s experience managing the range-extending longspined sea urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii) with Japan’s shared challenge of responding to isoyake (kelp deforestation).

The delegation also explored how research, fisheries management, industry collaboration and policy interact differently across Tasmania and Japan, and how both nations are working to balance ecosystem sustainability with productive fisheries and aquaculture.

The visit highlighted the many shared marine environmental challenges facing Tasmania and Japan, and opportunities to strengthen Australia–Japan collaboration in marine research, management and restoration.

University of Tasmania

25/08/2026

Some of the world’s leading infectious disease ecologists are gathering in Hobart this week for the first Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases Asia-Pacific (EEID-AP) conference.

Hosted by the University of Tasmania, the conference brings together more than 200 researchers, practitioners and policy stakeholders from across Australia, Asia and beyond to share new research and practical approaches to infectious disease ecology and evolution.

“Infectious diseases cannot be understood by looking at pathogens in isolation,” said lead conference organiser Dr Nick Fountain-Jones, from the UTAS Tasmanian School of Medicine.

“Disease emerges from interactions between hosts, pathogens, environments and human activities.

“Whether we are talking about bird flu moving through wildlife populations, mosquito-borne viruses expanding into new areas, parasites spilling over from wildlife, or a transmissible cancer spreading through Tasmanian devils, the challenge is the same: understanding complex systems well enough to anticipate what they might do next.”

IMAS Southern Ocean ecologist and conference co-chair Dr Jane Younger said the arrival of bird flu in Australia underscored the need for a ‘One Health’ approach – the idea that the health of people, animals, and our shared environment are all deeply connected.

“Bird flu doesn’t respect borders between countries, species or ecosystems. We need to understand those connections if we want to predict where diseases will move next, and reduce their impacts,” she said.

The conference is set to build the next generation of infectious disease experts in the Asia-Pacific, with higher degree research students and early-career scientists presenting alongside international leaders.

🔸Read more: https://tinyurl.com/57bx35dm
🔸Visit the conference website: https://eeid-asiapacific.org/

📸 (1) UTAS researcher Dr Rodrigo Hamede who studies Tasmanian Devil facial tumour disease (2) Dr Jane Younger with an Adele penguin (3) Dr Nick Fountain-Jones

25/08/2026

What can King Island’s bull kelp tell us about life beneath the ocean’s surface?

In a community event on the Island next Tuesday, our IMAS scientists and students will be explaining what their research has revealed so far.

They’ll be joined by visiting international seaweed researchers who’ll be sharing insights from around the world.

“This is a great opportunity to share what we’re investigating and why it’s important for the marine plant fishery. And to hear from our international seaweed scientists too,” said PhD student, Deb Delaney, who is researching southern bull kelp (Durvillaea potatorum).

🔸When: 7pm, Tuesday 1st September
🔸Where: King Island Golf & Bowling Club

University of Tasmania Blue Economy CRC Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania

25/08/2026

A type of red seaweed already attracting attention for reducing methane emissions from cattle could soon have another important job – helping clean up Australia's coastal waters.

A new IMAS study, funded by FRDC, has found that two seaweed species native to Australia, Asparagopsis armata and Asparagopsis taxiformis, could be good candidates for managers looking to remove excess nitrogen from the ocean.

“While nitrogen is an essential nutrient, too much of it can trigger harmful algal blooms, reduce oxygen levels and damage marine ecosystems,” said IMAS researcher and lead author Dr Tormey Reimer.

“One promising approach is cultivating seaweed, which is very effective at absorbing nitrogen as it grows.

“Growing seaweed is relatively low impact and, after harvesting, it can be processed into useful products like food additives, cosmetics and fertilisers.”

While more testing is needed, the research highlights an opportunity to combine environmental restoration with commercial seaweed production, which would help tackle two major challenges with a single solution.

Dive in to learn more: 🤿 https://tinyurl.com/ymvukhym

📸 IMAS

University of Tasmania FRDC

23/08/2026

Australia has crossed another grim threshold in its H5N1 bird flu outbreak. For the first time, the virus has infected an Australian mainland mammal: a long-nosed fur seal found dead at Beachport on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, about a four-hour drive southeast of Adelaide.

"One infected seal is not a seal outbreak. But we know from overseas just how quickly that can change," says IMAS Senior Lecturer in Southern Ocean Vertebrate Ecology, Dr Jane Younger.

"Seal populations now need urgent surveillance. We can’t stop H5N1 spreading through a colony, but we need to know where it is, how quickly it is spreading and which populations are being hardest hit.

"The Beachport seal is one animal – for now.

"But this virus has already shown us what can happen next. Australia should use that warning while we still have time."

The Beachport seal is one animal – for now. But this virus has already shown us what can happen next. Australia should use that warning while we still have time.

20/08/2026

Check out our students getting hands-on experience out in the field!

On a field trip last week as part of our Fisheries Biology and Population Dynamics unit, students helped researchers capture and tag over 260 Sand Flathead.

This data is being collected for a major scientific research project - however, the students also get access to this data and analyse it as part of their unit, exploring the size range of the catch and the implications of gear type, catch and effort, and bycatch.

Alongside the Fishing Technology and Fisheries Assessment units, this field work has been carried out by students for the past three years, with trips taking place in autumn and winter. Over this time, more than 1800 sand flathead have been caught with nearly 1500 of those fish tagged in an effort to improve our understanding of their movement patterns and growth rate in Tasmania.

The average size of the sand flathead caught over these three years was 272mm with the smallest fish landed being 140mm, while the largest fish reeled in by a student measuring 420mm.

Field trips like this provide students with practical experience and an in-depth understanding of research methods that will enable them to excel in their future careers.

✨Your future starts here: utas.edu.au/study-at-imas

University of Tasmania

19/08/2026

More than 400 polar experts from around the country will gather at the University of Tasmania in Hobart next week for the biennial Australian Antarctic Research Conference.

Antarctic science, Australia’s future is the theme of the conference, which brings together Australia’s polar research community at a time of rapid and extreme climate-related changes on and around Antarctica.

“Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are both fundamental to our planet’s climate system and acutely affected by global heating,” said Professor Delphine Lannuzel, who leads the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP) based at IMAS.

“Changes in this region have world-wide reach, influencing global ocean circulation, Australian and Pacific weather patterns and global sea level rise.

“The future of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the implications of melting for sea levels are central to Australia’s coastal management as well as the welfare of the world’s population.”

Read more ❄ https://tinyurl.com/AARC-2026

The conference is jointly sponsored by AAPP, the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS), Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF) and the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), supported by the Tasmanian Government.