SeaWeek 2025 – Raising awareness of climate impacts

March 2025

SeaWeek is an annual campaign to encourage an appreciation of the sea and focus community awareness on environmental challenges affecting our marine world. At DBCA, our Marine Science Program (MSP) staff collaborated with partners to host several events for both the public and other DBCA staff, exploring this year’s climate theme. 

Events included a Clean Up Australia Day / SeaWeek beach clean-up at Mettam’s Pool in Marmion Marine Park, where 40 volunteers joined MSP and Swan Coastal District scientists and rangers to learn about marine parks and then collect rubbish from the beach. Among other rubbish, we collected over 250 cigarette butts and hundreds of napkins and other paper, from what looked to be a pristine beach! 

Over a hundred students from four schools joined MSP staff at Perth Zoo for a day of workshops exploring the impacts of climate change on flatback turtles and little penguins, and to hear about the different marine science careers available at DBCA. 

Teachers and students from across Australia and New Zealand tuned in to a live webinar hosted by the Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre and DBCA, where they heard from researchers about the impacts of climate change on coral resilience, urchin predation on kelp and marine turtle nesting and currents. 

The North West Shelf Flatback Turtle Conservation Program staff led the organisation of SeaWeek at DBCA and were involved in all events, taking the opportunity to communicate to the public about the impacts of climate change and increasing temperatures on marine turtles across Australia.