The latest news from the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
No images? Click here
December 2025 | View previous edition
Hi
Welcome to Waypoint!
It's the end of the year, and that means one thing on the Great Barrier Reef: the annual mass spawning event. Read on to learn about our largest reef restoration trials yet, as well as other coral spawning research.
Further important work from AIMS includes new evidence about crown-of-thorns starfish predators, ocean acidification, and AI empowering international reef monitoring collaborations in the Pacific.
One of the world's largest reef restoration trials
This spawning season on the Great Barrier Reef, AIMS is leading one of the world's largest reef restoration tests on a coral reef ecosystem.
Under the Pilot Deployments Program (PDP), coral spawn was collected in partnership with locally based groups in north Queensland, to rear millions of young corals. These were placed onto test reefs near Cairns, Port Douglas and around the Keppel Islands, further south.
This was done using two different science techniques and the power of people — their skills, vessels and local knowledge.
The aim of the reef restoration methods being tested is to create a means to fast-track coral recovery on degraded reefs, when needed.
The methods were developed under the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP), a collaboration of experts across Australia developing and testing novel scientific solutions to help the Great Barrier Reef and other coral reefs survive in the decades ahead, as the world endeavours to arrest global warming.
The Pilot Deployments Program is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and led by AIMS. RRAP is funded by the partnership between the Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
Indigenous rangers helped take restoration research out of the laboratory and onto the Great Barrier Reef throughout November.
Over 20 rangers from six Traditional Owner groups gathered on Woppaburra sea Country in the Keppel Islands, just off the coast of Yeppoon with AIMS to upskill and build their knowledge of innovative techniques that harness the Reef’s way of reproducing, replenishing and adapting during coral spawning.
The Indigenous Futures project is part of the Pilot Deployments Program and is supported by AIMS, the Australian Government Reef Trust Partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, and the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program.
The Boats4Corals project has also been harnessing local skills in the central Great Barrier Reef. Now this particular project has wrapped up for the year, we’re excited to share some stats:
🪸 60 participants including tourism operators, Traditional Owners, Natural Resource Managers, and scientists.
🪸 8 larval pools deployed
🪸 2 nights of spawn collection
🪸 1,250 coral seeding devices deployed
🪸 69.6 million coral larvae (at least!) onto our target reef
This work was supported by using the larvae SeedBox, a new technological collaboration between CSIRO, Southern Cross University, and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
Boats4Corals is part of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Reef Islands Initiative. The Initiative is supported by funding from Lendlease, the Australian Government’s Reef Trust, the Queensland Government and the Fitzgerald Family Foundation.
Alongside the large-scale reef restoration trials taking place this spawning season, the usual hive of scientific activity has been filling the National Sea Simulator (SeaSim) – the epicentre of our coral aquaculture operations.
News from AIMS
Increasing no-take zones on the Great Barrier Reef in 2004 has helped recover populations of the coral-eating starfish's predators and reduce crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, new modelling shows.
Studies of CO2 seeps in Papua New Guinea, led by AIMS' Dr Katharina Fabricius, determine the likely impact of ocean acidification on coral reefs in the face of climate change.
ReefCloud, an open-source AI-powered coral reef monitoring platform developed by AIMS, is underpinning collaboration with Pacific Island nations.
A promising discovery may help improve the thermal resilience of corals at scale, following research by AIMS and The University of Melbourne.
AIMS presents...
The AIMS team have been popping up at events across Australia recently. One notable event was the 2025 Australian Coral Reef Society conference, which saw a strong AIMS contingent – no doubt helped by the fact the event was on AIMS doorstep in Townsville, Queensland.
Topics covered by AIMS speakers included marine heatwaves in WA, crown-of-thorns starfish, and image-based coral reef monitoring. Dr Carly Randall gave a keynote speech on large-scale reef restoration efforts.
AIMS also attended the Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition. Shaun Barlow presented on "Digital Twins in Tropical Marine Environments" at the Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems (AAUS) Autonomy in the Maritime Domain event. Meanwhile, Emily Sehu was flying the flag for ReefWorks in the Queensland Government pavilion.
AIMS Highly Cited Researchers
Congratulations to Dr Jessica Benthuysen who has been recognised among Australia's top 250 researchers in The Australian's 2026 Research magazine. Dr Benthuysen has also made Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list for 2025, alongside fellow AIMS scientist Dr Shaun Wilson.
Dr Benthuysen is a physical oceanographer in AIMS’ Oceanography and Shelf Processes team. She uses ocean observations and numerical models to understand oceanographic phenomena, such as marine heatwaves, that affect marine ecosystem health.
Dr Wilson is a principal research scientist in AIMS’ Seascape Health and Resilience team. His work as a marine ecologist looks at shallow water tropical ecosystems, especially coral reefs.
The successes of these influential researchers represent AIMS' ongoing strong performance in research, and the dedication of the multidisciplinary teams that make our science possible.
Reef Song field wrap up
Now in their final act, the Reef Song science team are now crunching the data from this four-year, bi-coastal project which has been investigating how fish and sound might help improve coral recovery.
They recently held a series of free public talks in communities near their research sites, with enthusiastic local attendance.
Meanwhile, the team have been paying a final visit to some of the 'patch reefs' they built for their experiments back in 2021. Check out the video below to see some of the reef critters that moved in during the last few years.
At what cost? Safeguarding the Great Barrier Reef’s role in Australia's economy
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation and Deloitte Access Economics have published a report which calculates the value of the Reef to the Australian economy.
Overall, the Reef is valued at $95 billion, based on its economic, social and icon value.
The Reef contributes $9 billion to the Australian economy every year and supports 77,000 jobs.
AIMS and GBRF partnership grows stronger
We are pleased to announce a new Partnership Agreement and Collaboration Framework between AIMS and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
Our organisations have a successful history of collaboration through research programs and partnerships, including the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program and the Crown-of-thorns starfish Control Innovation Program. The Agreement, signed by AIMS CEO Professor Selina Stead (left) and the Foundation's Managing Director Anna Marsden (right) puts this reality in writing, recognising our continued mutual interests in supporting thriving oceans.
AIMS@JCU marks 20 years
Two decades ago, AIMS and James Cook University began an alliance to develop the next generation of world-leading marine scientists.
This formal collaboration, known as AIMS@JCU, was funded by a special Commonwealth allocation for PhD scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships to strengthen marine science capacity in north Queensland.
AIMS@JCU has helped shape hundreds of PhD, Masters, and Honours students and placements who are now advancing marine science globally.
Twenty years on, students and supervisors past and present returned to JCU and AIMS for a two-day celebration of the milestone.
During a visit to AIMS’ Townsville headquarters site (Nilgoolerburdda), on Bindal Country, much of the focus was on connecting with Indigenous knowledge and innovation. The day included a smoking ceremony led by Bindal Elders and a series of fascinating talks. An invigorating group discussion, led by AIMS’ Indigenous Partnerships team, also helped build understanding and mutual connection for the benefit of science.
AIMS@JCU is forging a path into the future. Here’s to another 20 years.
AIMS in the news
- Ningaloo's coral deaths | Triple J
- Predatory fish keeping starfish under control | ABC Listen
- How a beautiful curtain of bubbles led to a bleak undersea discovery | Sydney Morning Herald
- Heat-tolerant coral babies trialled to restore Great | The Courier Mail (paywall)
Get social!
- Follow AIMS on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube
- Follow SeaSim on X, LinkedIn and BlueSky
- Follow ReefWorks on LinkedIn
- Sign up for regular survey updates from AIMS' Great Barrier Reef Long-Term Monitoring team
