In this episode of Ocean Pod, Dr Nina Wootton and Professor Bronwyn Gillanders explore the concept of Sea Country—First Nations peoples’ deep, enduring connections to ocean and coast that have guided sustainable marine management for tens of thousands of years.

They’re joined by Shane Holland, a proud Kaurna and Narungga man with over 30 years’ experience in government and marine policy. Shane shares his powerful perspective on Indigenous leadership, co-design, and shifting the way research and policy engage with Traditional Owners.

From marine parks to fisheries, Shane unpacks why Sea Country matters—not just to First Nations communities, but to the health and future of Australia’s oceans.

Follow us on Instagram: @oceanpod

Get in touch: nina.wootton@adelaide.edu.au

In this episode of Ocean Pod, Dr Nina Wootton and Professor Bronwyn Gillanders dive into the world of marine protected areas—parts of the ocean where human activities are carefully managed to protect marine life, habitats, and cultural values.

They’re joined by Dr Shelley Paull, marine coordinator at the South Australian Department for Environment and Water (DEW), who shares her experience managing South Australia’s marine park network. From community engagement to climate change and cultural heritage, Shelley unpacks the vital role MPAs play in ocean conservation.

In this episode we talk about Experiencing Marine Sanctuaries, you can find out more about this at https://www.emsau.org.

Follow us on Instagram: @oceanpod

Get in touch: nina.wootton@adelaide.edu.au

In this episode of Ocean Pod, Dr Nina Wootton and Professor Bronwyn Gillanders uncover the secrets hidden in the bones of the sea. From fish ear bones to shells and other hard structures, they explore how these natural time capsules reveal where marine animals have been, how old they are, and the stories of their lives. With insights from Bronwyn’s decades of work in the field, this episode dives deep into the science of life history reconstruction in the ocean.

In this episode Nina's tide talk was about how the ocean is getting darker, you can read the paper here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.70227.

Bronwyn spoke about the avian flu approaching SA and how our government is preparing, more can be found here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-31/concerns-for-sa-sealions-and-birds-as-bird-flu-approaches/105102764.

Follow us on Instagram: @oceanpod

Get in touch: nina.wootton@adelaide.edu.au