A new article in Oceanography documents the sweeping marine heatwave events that impacted Australia’s coastlines throughout summer 2024 and into autumn 2025, and the regional toll was severe.

Read the full article here.

Coral bleaching struck both the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef, while Western Australia also saw mass fish kills.

The Northern Territory endured one of its worst banana prawn seasons on record, though gold-banded snapper fared better in the warmer conditions.

New South Wales recorded fish kills, particularly of threadfin leatherjackets.

South Australia experienced large-scale algal blooms driving mass marine animal mortality, and Tasmania saw jellyfish and salp blooms alongside outbreaks of bacterial disease in salmon.

These events are becoming more frequent, more intense, and longer-lasting, and the seafood sector’s ability to prepare and respond depends on sharing knowledge across regions.

If the 2024/25 marine heatwave changed the way you operate, we want to hear your story. Share it in the Share Your Knowledge section of Sea Change Australia.

And if you have questions about marine heatwaves, submit them through our Fishing for Climate Answers Q&A platform and one of our experts will respond directly.