Underrated animals: Short-finned eel
The location is so remote, scientists still don't know what happens while they're there.
But then, as new baby eels, they need to swim thousands of kilometres back to the Australian mainland — and only one in every 10,000 hatchings make it.
Cast your vote for Australia's most underrated animal here.
Featuring:
Dr Wayne Koster, Arthur Rylah Institute
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer Jacinta Bowler, Producer
Jacinta Bowler, Producer Rebecca McLaren, Producer
Rebecca McLaren, Producer Hamish Camilleri, Sound Engineer
Hamish Camilleri, Sound Engineer
Petria Ladgrove, Executive Producer
Stream the brand-new series Dr Ann's Secret Lives on ABC iview.
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ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Great Barrier Reef coral cover decline shows 'ecosystem under stress'
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It noted the 2024 mass bleaching event was the fifth to hit the region since 2016, and the largest ever recorded on the Great Barrier Reef. The stunning, varied colour of the corals in the Great Barrier Reef is the result of a unique, symbiotic relationship between the hard coral and zooxanthellae algae. The coral gives the algae a protective environment, and the algae feeds the coral. But when the ocean gets too hot, the coral polyps can become stressed and expel the zooxanthellae, which triggers the bleaching effect. Without food for too long, the coral can starve and die. In the latest AIMS survey results, the most impacted coral species were the Acropora, which is susceptible to heat stress and a favoured food of the crown-of-thorns starfish. "These corals are the fastest to grow and are the first to go," Dr Emslie said. "This is also the first time we've seen substantial bleaching impacts in the southern region, leading to the largest annual decline since monitoring began." AIMS surveys 124 individual reefs across the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), and analyses results for three regions: the Northern GBR from Cape York to Cooktown, Central GBR from Cooktown to Proserpine, and Southern GBR from Proserpine to Gladstone. One of the main measures used to monitor the condition of the reef is the percentage of hard coral cover, which describes the proportion of the sea floor that is covered in hard coral. Compared to figures from 2024, the Southern GBR saw a 30 per cent decline in coral cover — the largest annual decline ever recorded, bringing it below the long-term average. Coral cover in the Central and Northern GBR remains above long-term averages, but both regions saw significant declines compared to 2024, of 14 per cent and 25 per cent respectively. Based on historical surveys, AIMS defines reefs with between 30-50 per cent coral cover as "high value" — that is, they're relatively healthy. Of the reefs surveyed, AIMS found that two had less than 10 per cent coral cover, 77 between 10 and 30 per cent cover, 33 between 30 and 50 per cent cover, 10 between 50 and 75 per cent cover, and two had greater than 75 per cent coral cover. While there has been an overall decline, the Great Barrier Reef has "fared relatively better" than other parts of the world because of its size and its varied habitats. The Caribbean, for example, has suffered high mortality on almost all of its reefs, and very little coral remains. "The Great Barrier Reef currently retains higher coral cover than many reefs globally; however, mass coral bleaching events are now occurring with increasing frequency, while recovery periods are decreasing," the report said. One of the successes noted in the survey was the ongoing efforts to monitor and control crown-of-thorns starfish. Crown-of-thorns starfish can grow up to 80 centimetres in diameter, with up to 21 arms covered in hundreds of toxin-tipped thorns, and they can consume vast amounts of coral. The starfish are native to the Great Barrier Reef, but since the 1960s their numbers have increased significantly. Exactly what is behind the booming population is still being studied, but increased nutrient availability from land run-off, which increases phytoplankton, has created more food for COTS larvae, and may be leading to more adults. Over the past year, the federal government's crown-of-thorns starfish control program has culled over 50,000 starfish, injecting them with vinegar or ox bile. "Due to crown-of-thorns starfish control activities, there were no potential, established, or severe outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish recorded on Central GBR reefs in 2025," the AIMS report noted. 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Daily Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
The Block 2025 Episode 7 recap: Big problem with the Block house designs
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The Australian
5 hours ago
- The Australian
The Australian Wine Club: Mr Riggs gets feminine with a special pinot noir
Does it really matter what a wine is called? We know label design can be a crucial part of a consumer's choice, but how much can a wine's name reflect what's in the bottle? As a widely garlanded winemaker, Ben Riggs has a few reflexes to guide him in choosing the names of each new varietal under his Mr Riggs label – quite a few of his previous releases have been named after close family members, for instance. But pondering the addition of an Adelaide Hills pinot noir to the range, Ben knew what kind of wine he wanted to make because he knew what kind of wine he wanted to drink – and the name, he was clear, had to reflect that. 'I like juicy, fleshy, unctuous pinot – I do enjoy stalky, Burgundian styles, but having spent some time in Otago I found all the reserve wines there a little structured and tannic, and I quite liked the second-tier wines,' Ben tells us. Ben Riggs. 'So with (what became) Valerie, I wanted it to be rich and flavoursome, and so I wanted a name that covered 'strong but elegant'. I literally put in a Google search for a French word for 'strong but elegant' and up popped 'valerie' – which is my mother's name. 'That's why the words on the label on the back could describe my mother. She's very much from her era, she's not loud but she's incredibly strong and tough. At 93 years old, she's still amazingly fit and healthy. 'My father died 38 years ago and I helped her to look after him, it was the hardest three months of my life, physically and emotionally exhausting. I'll never forget how incredibly strong she was at a really tough time.' There's no doubt Ben's pinot noir does Valerie justice and is a worthy member of this week's special offer case from The Australian Wine Club – a mix of pinots from South Australia and Victoria that are all fruit-driven exemplars. They include the 2018 Kyberd Hills Brigadier Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir, with an RRP of $50 and 94 points from The Wine Front; the 2020 Mt Bera Wild & Free Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir that normally sells for $30 and scored 93 points from Wine Orbit, and; the Allinda Yarra Valley Pinot Noir with an RRP of $28 and 94 points also from Wine Orbit. As for the extent to which the name does matter, Ben realised he'd got it right when he unveiled his new pinot noir to arguably his toughest audience. 'The funniest thing about it is that I have my reserve shiraz, which is called JFR after John Frederick Riggs, my father, and I have the Magnet grenache which is named after my middle son, as he attracts things very easily, good, bad and indifferent,' he explains. 'So at Christmas 2023 I put a bottle of the pinot on the table in front of my mother and she turned round and said, 'Oh, it's about time you named a wine after me!'.' Mr. Riggs Valerie Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2023 There's so much fruit going on here, vibrant cherry, cranberry and raspberry on the nose, but also a sprinkle of fresh earth and sweet spice to set it off. The palate is similarly fruit-forward, the same lineup of juicy red berries underpinned by some dried-herb savouriness and balanced acidity that delivers impressive length. Elegant and so very drinkable. 13.5% alc, RRP $35 a bottle. SPECIALS $29.99 in any dozen, $25.99 in our pinot noir dozen. Kyberd Hills Brigadier Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2018 The pale brick-red hue is enticing and so is the wash of red berries and spice with rhubarb, redcurrant and red cherries that you breathe in – plus hints of mushroom and a little orange peel. There's more rhubarb on the palate, with redcurrant and raspberry, but seguing into a pleasing savouriness and powdery tannins just made to complement duck confit. 94 points, The Wine Front. 13.5% alc, RRP $50 a bottle. SPECIALS $39.99 in any dozen, $25.99 in our pinot noir dozen. Mt Bera Wild & Free Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2020 The most savoury nose in this week's lineup offers beguiling notes of truffle and earth, almost smoky with spice and leather, though red cherry and raspberry follow on. But the palate sings a fruitier tune full of cherry, raspberry and bramble, a few smoky notes and a hint of clove. There's a refreshing acidity and a pleasing savouriness on the finish to complete the circle. 93 points, Wine Orbit. 13.3% alc, RRP $30 a bottle. SPECIALS $23.99 in any dozen, $25.99 in our pinot noir dozen. Allinda Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2022 The light garnet colour is a good indicator of the freshness on show here as initial notes of coffee, mushroom and leather on the nose open up to wild strawberries and dried herbs. A juicy palate hums with strawberry and sour cherry, some fresh herbs and a hint of aniseed amid fine-grained tannins. 94 points, Wine Orbit. 13.5% alc, RRP $28 a bottle. SPECIAL $25.99 in our pinot noir dozen. PINOT NOIR DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $25.99 a bottle. SAVE $117. Order online or phone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST and quote 'ACCJ'. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550.
