Send us Fan Mail What do bananas have to do with protecting the Great Barrier Reef? More than you might think! In this episode of Word on the Reef, we meet Frank and Dianne Sciacca from Pacific Coast Eco Bananas in Innisfail, who more than 25 years ago took a radical approach to banana farming. By ditching synthetic pesticides and fertilisers and working with nature instead, they’ve been showing that growing delicious bananas and protecting our waterways don’t have to be mutually exclusive. F...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we sit down with fish vet Matt Landos to unpack the case that pushed him into becoming a vocal advocate for stronger pesticide regulation in Australia. What starts as an investigation into mysterious fish health problems quickly turns into a revelation of how chemical exposure can move through water, air, food webs, and even into our bodies. Thumbnail Image: Two headed bass embryo, by G. Gilson Recommended Resources: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/region...

Send us Fan Mail The whale was bellowing out for help - so Brenton Owens weighed up the risks, and acted. A few days later, he received an infringement notice. In 2024, diver and environmental scientist Brenton Owens and a group of neighbours paddle-boarded out to rescue a humpback whale entangled in a shark net, risking legal action and fines of more than $30,000. Moved by that experience, he recently kayaked more than 1,300 kilometres from the Gold Coast to Airlie Beach to document the impa...

Send us Fan Mail Tyá Dynevor has always felt a special connection with animals, which has led her to becoming an ethnozoologist - someone who studies the relationship between humans and animals. It's something Traditional Owners have known about for millennia. We sat down with Tyá for a powerful discussion about how Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western science can work together to keep Country and people healthy. We dig into reciprocity with nature, the spiritual side of Ind...

Send us Fan Mail Now available in video format on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! In this episode we sit down with Australian diving legend Ben Cropp AM to trace a life that swings from shark hunting fame to conservation, shipwreck discovery, and hard-won lessons from 70 years of diving on the Great Barrier Reef. He tells us what it really takes to stay alive underwater, think like a skipper, and keep chasing purpose into one's 90s. Along the way we'll learn about the whale shark encounter that c...